Only The Beginning Of The Adventure
by The Wolf Of Cair Paravel
Summary: Ariana Knight is a relatively normal Southern American teenage girl. When she literally falls into Narnia to cross paths with the Pevensies, her life is flipped inside out and upside down. But with all of the strangeness around her, will she ever believe it's real? Rewritten, edited version of my previous work "The Reason Why". Eventual Ed/OC, but it's not the focal point.
1. I'm Not Alright

**Chapter 1: I'm Not Alright**

An ominous buzzing noise filled the air of the streets in Finchely, England before the sound of air raid siren blared, sending the citizens below into panic. A squadron of German bombers tore through the clouds above the city, out of sight.

In a middle class house, Susan Pevensie, a girl of fifteen years, grabbed a flashlight and a book off of a shelf next to her bed before rushing down the stairs with her younger sister, Lucy. Her two brothers, Edmund and peter, scrambled down the stairs in front of them, Peter shoving Edmund forward as they went. They raced out of the house and into the cold night air, Lucy and Susan in their nightclothes, while their mother waved them urgently towards the bomb shelter. Edmund skidded to a stop.

"Dad!" The dark haired boy yelled, mostly to himself. He broke his brother's hold and made a mad dash back to the house without a backwards glance.

"Edmund! No!" Helen Pevensie screamed after her youngest son as her two daughters pulled her in to the bomb shelter. She gave a pleading look to her eldest who glanced back at their house hesitantly. He then steeled himself before breaking off in a sprint towards the house to catch his brother before he got himself into more trouble. Or worse.

Edmund scrambled into the sitting room and snatched a framed photo off of the mantle. It was of a man in an RAF uniform. He stopped for a moment to listen to the anti-aircraft guns that were pounding outside. He walked slowly and absentmindedly over to the window. He stared in awe as flame shot from one of the bombers and it wobbled in the air. He watched the burning plane as it plunged out of the air until he realized that it was coming straight towards him. He stood frozen as the plane smashed like a gigantic fireball into the building directly across the street.

"Edmund!" Peter yelled, snapping his brother back to life. Edmund looked at his blonde-haired brother just in time to be plowed into and knocked to the ground. In the next second, glass rained down over them. The photo flew from Edmund's hand as they hit the ground and smashed on the floor, the glass shattering. He sent a seething glare at his older brother as he scooped up the frame and they both ran towards the shelter in the back yard.

As soon as they were both safely inside of the shelter, Peter slammed the door shut. He shoved his brother on to one of the small cots that were placed around the single room and sent a glare that could have melted ice Edmund's way. Susan and Lucy stared at Edmund with wide eyes, and his mother pulled him close while Peter ranted and raved about how he could have gotten them both killed. He looked at the crumpled photograph in his hands and tears welled up in his eyes. He had one thought on his mind at the moment. _This is the worst day ever._

He didn't know it at the time, but there was a girl in another place, in another time, that he would soon meet. She would be thinking the exact same thing not too far into her future, and they wouldn't realize it at first, but they would come to rely on each other to stay alive.

Ariana Knight stared out of her bedroom window, a troubled expression on her face. Her normally bright green eyes had lost their shine, and instead bore a stormy look, much like the clouds looming outside of her house. Her lips were mashed into a thin line, which could mean one of two things. She was either extremely mad, or trying to hold herself together. In this occasion, it had been the latter.

If one had looked closely at her eyes, they would have seen the tears starting to form there. They would have also seen the determination there to keep them from spilling over. At fourteen, she had made up her mind that she wasn't going to break. Not anymore. She'd seen enough in her short lifetime to know that the world was a frightening place, and if you weren't strong enough, then you'd get eaten alive.

She thought about the grave that was in the cemetery down the street, and why the body in it was rotting there today. A life was cut short because some joker in a suit thought that he owned the place. It had torn her family apart, but held them together at the same time. Her eldest brother was the first of their family to leave the world, protecting her sister. The bullet passed through his skull like it was nothing more than a piece of paper. She could still hear her mother's sobs, her dad's screams of rage, and the choking sound in her own throat as she realized the gun was pointed at her next. The only reason she was still alive was because her dad decided to be a hero and plow straight into the guy.

Life had never been the same. Her mother was just going through the motions, no matter how much she denied it. Justin and Marcus, her two remaining brothers, were practically broken beyond repair. Kaitlin was too little at the time of the event to remember much about it. She didn't understand what was going on. As for Ari, she was just thankful she was alive, but the demons that haunted her at night would never go away. Her dad on the other hand seemed to act like nothing had happened at all. He would go out on his tractor to plow the fields before it was time to plant, pretending that it wasn't Devin's job before he was gone.

Breaking her vow to herself, a tear slipped down Ari's unnaturally pale cheek. She took a shuddering breath before she steeled herself, the tear already forgotten. She grabbed her coat, bag, and the pocket knife that she carried everywhere with her. She quietly made her way down the stairs to the back door that was rarely used. She opened it, wincing when it made a creaking noise. The rain pelted her face as she began walking towards the woods at the back of their property. Her feet sloshed through the wet Georgia mud, but she didn't mind. Most girls would freak if even a small bit of mud or clay got on their clothes, but Ari wasn't a city girl. She was a third-generation farm girl.

She often came out to the woods when she needed time to think. It was like a second home to her. She walked down the path through the woods, not caring that she really couldn't see where she was going. She knew all the tricks to surviving in the woods so it wouldn't really matter if she got lost for a day or two. She'd eventually find her way back to the house and everything would be fine. No damage done. It wasn't unusual for her to disappear into the forest for a couple of days at a time. So she wasn't too worried about what her parents would think when she didn't come down for breakfast the next morning.

She pulled her coat closer around her as the rain soaked her through. She shivered and rubbed her arms. Was it getting colder? She shook her head and kept walking. The tree house that she had in the woods shouldn't be too far ahead. She closed her eyes, which wasn't too smart, and walked on. Her feet slipped out from under her and she hit the ground with a thud. Her head ached. She put a hand up to the spot where it hurt the most and pulled it away, seeing red. The world was spinning as she lay there on the wet ground. Her vision went blurry and the last thing that she saw before the world went completely black to her was the little flurries of snow falling from the sky.

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**Author's note: **

**Well, hey guys. It's been a while. Hehe... After many requests of my friends who have read this new version (Or what I have typed of it...) I have decided to post it. This is probably my best version of this story that I have ever done, and it actually makes a whole lot more sense than the previous versions. I started it a while back, just to see where it would go if I rewrote it. I wasn't actually planning on ever posting it up here.  
**

**I might as well come straight out and tell you guys, the main reason that you haven't really seen me post any new fics or updates for any of my already published works is because I have been battling some pretty severe depression. In my case, I didn't want to admit it, but it was still there. But I've moved past it now, and I can get on with my life. I'm an adult, and I should act like one.  
**

**Now, this is for you guys. It's for the reviewers who stuck by me through thick and thin. Don't expect _too_ much out of me, since I've still got a lot going on, such as various medical problems that I need to sort through. But, seeing as this story is nearly completed already (seeing as I've been gradually working on it for quite some time now), I might as well start posting on it. Who knows? Maybe having you guys review and tell me what you think will get my drive going and I'll start writing completely new works again!**

**I hope you enjoyed it. I've written pretty much the entire story up until the battle. I'm working on that, slowly but surely. I plan on completing this story, and actually having a close. So, I hope you guys will stick with me this time. :)**

**I just had to throw in my signature 'leave a smiley if you liked it!' at the end. So there it is!**


	2. Evacuating London

**Chapter 2: Evacuating London**

The morning after the German attack was disastrous. Bobbies waved traffic around a crater caused by a crashing bomber while firemen hosed down a building that was still smoldering. People were salvaging what little they had left from the raid and then moved on their way. The Pevensie family walked through Trafalgar square which was much more crowded than normal. The children were carrying gas masks and heavily packed suitcases. Lucy Pevensie, the youngest of the family, stopped to gaze up at a statue of a large bronze lion.

"Come on, Lucy. We don't have time for daydreaming." Susan, her older sister said as she pulled her along.

A train whistle screamed as they made their way into the over-packed station. Hundreds of children were saying goodbye to their families. Bags and prized possessions were strewn all around, adding to the claustrophobic feeling. Lucy stared up at a poster on the wall that held the phrase _Help the city children! Housing evacuees is a national service! _She gave a gloomy look at her mother who was pinning her name and destination onto her coat.

The four of them were being sent away, and it hadn't been a reality until the attack the night before. Now it hit all of them full force. The night raid only strengthened their mother's determination to get them away from the destruction of the war, and only caused a rift of resentment between her and her children. Peter, being the eldest of the four, was the man of the house while their father was away fighting. He wasn't particularly pleased with leaving their mother behind, but saw the need to protect his younger siblings. Susan was the mother hen, trying to keep them all together while barely holding back her own tears. Edmund was the most vocal about his feelings, ranting and raving about how preposterous he thought it was that they were being sent away. Lucy, on the other hand, hadn't said a word about it since the day they had found out they were leaving. She didn't agree with it, but didn't see the point in arguing over things that she had no control over. It would just cause them all more grief.

Mrs. Pevensie fiddled with the sleeve of her WVS uniform as she took a long forlorn look at her children. She had to make the hard decision and send them away, not knowing when or if she would see them again. She sighed and leaned forward to pin a label to Edmund's coat.

"You will be good, won't you, Ed" She asked him. In response, he turned away and didn't speak. She leaned forward and tried to encircle him with her arms but he shrugged her off with a cold expression. She sadly settled for a kiss on his cheek. She then turned to Peter and handed him a sheaf of documents.

"It's not for very long." She said as she hugged him tightly, thought she knew that her words weren't entirely truthful. None of them knew how long they would be away. She pulled away gave her eldest son a fierce look. "_Promise _me you'll look after the others."

"I will, mum." He swore to her. Peter swallowed the lump in his throat and forced an uneasy smile and Lucy reached up and took his hand like she had when she was very small. He looked down at his twelve year-old sister and realized just how tiny she looked at the moment. She was scared but wouldn't say anything.

Helen Pevensie said her goodbyes to her two girls, while Edmund still refused to meet her eyes. He was furiously blinking, refusing to let the tears out that threatened to spill over. He was too old to cry in public, or at least that was what he was telling himself. He'd lost his father to this war, and now he was losing his mother too. As Peter led his younger siblings through the crowded station towards the train, he sifted through the papers. Susan rolled her eyes and took the papers from his hands. Edmund rolled his eyes at her. _Ever the responsible one._ He thought. He turned around and craned his neck to catch a glimpse of his mother one last time before they would leave. He saw her, and steeling himself, he bolted.

"Edmund!" Susan cried out. She reached out a hand to pull him back, but Edmund was already out of her reach. He dashed past a guard and barreled straight into his mother's arms. He gave her a tight squeeze before darting back to the train platform just as quickly as he had left.

Only minutes later the whistle of the train shrieked as it eased out of the station. The four Pevensie children joined the rest of the youngsters being sent away against their will as they leaned out of the window. Susan blinked furiously to hide the tears that nearly spilled over as she saw her mother openly crying as she watched the train pulling them away. Moments later, the train was speeding through the countryside and away from their childhood home. Away to safety, they were told. Away from the horrors of war.

Back inside of the small train compartment, the four children tried to settle in for the long ride ahead of them. Peter was putting their luggage on a shelf above the seats, Susan was digging through the bag slung over her shoulder for a book, Edmund was looking out of the window at the countryside that was blurring by, and Lucy was looking at her hands with a sad expression. Her feet didn't quite reach the ground. Noticing this, Peter took one of the suitcases down and placed it under her feet. She gave him a weak smile as he sat down beside her.

The four of them sat in silence, not speaking as the train stopped to let children off to be picked up by somber foster parents. None of them felt in the mood for conversation. It wasn't but a few hours before it was their turn to be left on an empty platform, waiting to be picked up as the train pulled away into the distance. There was no sign of anything living anywhere nearby except for the sign on a nearby ticket booth that creaked in the wind.

"Shouldn't someone be here for us?" Lucy said meekly as she peered off of the platform. Edmund set down his suitcase and plunked himself down on it, eying his name-tag suspiciously.

"Perhaps we've been incorrectly labeled." He commented.

"Or maybe he's simply forgotten us." Susan said worriedly. Peter opened his mouth to comment, but before he could speak an ancient looking black buggy clattered up. An elderly woman with a stern face was sitting in the driver's seat.

"I wish he _had_." Edmund said sourly, making Lucy giggle. She quickly changed her expression as the woman looked at them, not looking to impressed.

"Pevensies?" The woman asked. Her voice was stiff. Disapproving.

"Yes Ma'am." Peter replied as he grabbed the handle of his trunk.

"I'm Mrs. Macready, the Professor's housekeeper." She said, introducing herself. "Load your things. Quickly, we're on a schedule."

She turned the buggy around and the Pevensies climbed in. They barely had time to sit down before the buggy was moving. The four of them looked at each other. The ride was short. It wasn't long until the Professor's mansion loomed in the distance through the trees. It was three stories worth of stone masonry and stained glass windows. The four refugees gazed up in wonder and awe at the large estate they would be living in.

"I hope you four appreciate the fact that this house is of great his historic value." Mrs. Macready began, breaking the silence. "People come from all over England to view it."

"Really? Why?" Susan asked excitedly. The housekeeper rolled her eyes in response as she turned the buggy into a tree-lined drive.

"It's in _all _the guide books." The elderly woman answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Susan huffed grumpily and crossed her arms, causing Lucy and Edmund to snicker at her expression.

Once the small group was inside the mansion, the housekeeper wasted no time at all in making sure that the Pevensies knew the rules of the house. She started listing them off as she began leading them up a grand staircase to their rooms.

"There will be no shouting or running. No sliding on the banisters. No improper use of the dumb-waiter. No touching of the historical artifacts!" She snapped, smacking Susan's hand as the girl reached out to touch a gleaming suit of armor. Susan pulled her hand back as if it were on fire and glared at the woman who didn't seem to notice. The group stopped walking in front of a closed door. Light flickered behind it.

"And above all, there will be _no _disturbing of the Professor." The housekeeper said, shooting a warning glance at all of them. She turned on her heel and began walking up a flight of stairs. They followed her through the hallways to their new rooms.

Later that night, after they were all settled in, three of the Pevensies were sitting in the girls' bedroom. Lucy was snuggled underneath the covers of her bed, though it was much too big for her.

"This bed's too big." She complained quietly. Peter chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"Are you sure you haven't _shrunk_?" He teased. Lucy smiled despite herself. In the next bed, Susan was tucking herself in.

"The Professor's just not used to having kids around." She stated.

"I miss mum." Lucy said, hugging her pillow tight. Edmund, who had just entered the room carrying a plate of food, heard her.

"If you're feeling homesick, go stand outside the Macready's door. She snores like an air raid siren." He joked, rolling his eyes. Susan shot him a warning glare, but Lucy let out a giggle and reached for a biscuit off of the plate Edmund just set down.

"That pantry's a gold mine, I tell you." He said, mouth full of food.

"_You_ should be in bed." Susan said to Edmund.

"Stop trying to sound like mum. Go to bed yourself." He retorted, taking another bit of a biscuit.

"I _am _in bed, in case you haven't noticed." Susan snapped. Edmund scowled at her and then stormed out of the room, the plate of biscuits long forgotten. Lucy called out for him to come back, but he was already out of earshot.

"This is just _great._" She mumbled. Peter took a biscuit off of the plate and handed it to Lucy.

"Tell you what." He began, determined to cheer her up. "Tomorrow, we'll go outside and explore. You saw the grounds. There's no telling what we'll find! It'll be great. I promise."

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**Author's Note: **

**Thank you for the three lovely reviews in the last chapter. I know I can't really expect much, seeing as I probably lost all that cared about my stories long ago since I never did what I said I was going to do. But thank you anyways! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It's definitely not my favorite, but it's necessary for the story to continue.  
**

**I've decided that after this, I will post one chapter each week, on Friday. But if I get enough reviews, I may post sooner. You never know! But unless I get reviews, I'm just going to post on Fridays. How does that sound? At least you'll know when you're getting a new chapter!**

**Leave a smiley if you liked it! ;)  
**


	3. Destiny Awaits

**Chapter 3: Destiny Awaits**

The next day came and there was no exploring the grounds. Thunder crashed outside and rain pelted the glass. The four refugees tried to find some amusement, but there wasn't much that they could do. Lucy Pevensie stared dejectedly out of a window with a gloomy expression. Edmund was currently laying underneath a coffee table tracing designs on the bottom of it with his fingers. Peter sat on the couch trying to feign interest in the game Susan was trying to get them all to play, but it really wasn't much of a game.

"Gastrovascular." The eldest girl called out as she stood at a table before a very large dictionary. She waited. There was no response except a groan from Edmund and a sigh from Peter.

"Come on, Peter! Gastrovascular."She prompted once more. Peter slumped in his seat, fighting the urge to reach out and hit something. Anything.

"Is it Latin?" He managed to grind out.

"Yes!" Susan grinned. Edmund slid his head out from under the coffee table and gave a sour look.

"Is it Latin for 'worst game ever invented'?" He asked, only half joking. Susan scowled at him and slammed the dictionary shut, causing Lucy to look away from the window at the sound.

"What about hide and seek?" Lucy asked after a moment of silence. Peter gave a pained expression.

"Oh, please! Anything _but_." He begged.

"Would you rather play Susan's dictionary game?" Edmund asked, arching an eyebrow. While Susan gave a hopeful look, Peter looked scared out of his mind.

"Please!" Lucy begged.

"It _is _a good house for it, Peter." Edmund said, supporting Lucy.

"Just give up Peter. We're definitely not going outside at all today. Not in this weather." Lucy said as thunder rumbled in the distance.

"No!" Peter nearly shouted. "Count me out. I mean it. Not a chance."

At this, Lucy and Edmund gave identical smirks to each other letting their oldest sibling that he was in trouble. Not even five minutes later, Peter stood leaning against the wall in one of the many hallways that the mansion contained. His eyes were shut in annoyance as he counted.

"_Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen."_

Lucy turned a corner just in time to see Susan lowering herself into a window seat with her finger pressed to her lips. Lucy's shoulder's slumped and she raced off to find a different hiding place.

"_Thirty. Thirty-one."_

Lucy hopped behind a potted plant, but she showed right through it. She scowled and ran off again.

"_Fifty-six. Fifty-seven."_

She yanked back a curtain to hide behind it, but Edmund was already there. He shoved her out of the way so she wouldn't give him away and gave her a sour look.

"I was here first!"

Lucy made a face at him before running off frantically through the maze-like halls. It was a wonder that she even still heard Peter's voice as she rounded another corner and fame face-to-face with a closed door.

"_Ninety."_

Lucy hesitated for a moment, and threw a glance over her shoulder. Then she steeled herself and turned the knob, threw open the door, and ran in. She shut the door quietly behind her so she wouldn't give away her hiding place. She backed up a few steps and turned around, looking for a place to hide, and stopped dead in her tracks.

The room was empty and quiet. Almost forgotten. The only piece furniture in the room was a large, ornate wardrobe at the farthest wall in the room. She stared at it for a long moment before a sound jolted her back to life. At the window, a fly buzzed loudly and then floated to the floor, dead. The room was silent once more.

"_Ninety-four."_

Lucy jumped back to life and made a dash to the wardrobe, reaching up for the knob. It didn't budge.

"_Ninety-five."_

She pulled at the knob again. This time the door came open with such a force that she almost fell backwards. Two moth balls clattered out onto the floor. She peered inside of the wardrobe and saw a collection of fur coats hanging inside.

"Ninety-six."

The youngest Pevensie gave one last glance at the door before she dove into the wardrobe. She left the door just slightly open as she held her breath. A tiny sliver of light split the darkness as Lucy looked through the crack and into the room. She gave a small grin and backed up into the coats. Layer upon layer of fur engulfed her.

"_Ninety-seven."_

Peter's voice was barely a whisper now. With a grin she kept backing up. She put her hand out, feeling for the back of the wardrobe, but it never seemed to come.

"Ouch!" She said as something jabbed her hand. She jerked it back and looked at it, but then reached it back out again. A confused look crossed her face. She took another step back and heard not footsteps on wood, but a crunch. She turned and stepped forward. The darkness around her was lifting, and the air was becoming colder. She could see her breath in the air. She froze as she saw a pine cone hanging from a tree branch high over her head. She took one more cautious step into the light and stared amazed as clear white snow fell all around her in a forest.

After the initial shock wore off, she smiled. She held her arms out to her sides and spun around in a circle. She stopped and held her hands out to collect some of the falling flakes of snow. The white flecks nearly made her forget about the game of hide and seek. She stopped for a moment and looked behind her. The light from the nearly empty spare room still shone through the crack in the door, but barely. She looked back over her shoulder and into the forest. A dim light filtered in through the trees, and she decided that it would probably be worth it to explore some more. After all, they wouldn't be missing her in a game of hide and seek.

As she walked the dim light gradually grew brighter and the trees began to thin out until she walked into a clearing. It was empty, save for a lamp post. Lucy stared up at the hissing flame in awe. She glanced around the clearing until footsteps crunched in the snow behind her. She spun on her heel and looked into the trees, but saw nothing. There were more footsteps. What happened next caused Lucy to scream.

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**Author's Note: I posted this chapter a little early because I'm going on a 'mini-vacation' this weekend, and there's really no telling how much time I'll have free or how much access to a computer I will have. So, since the rest of my week is going to be crazy, you all get this chapter early! I just hope you like it. **

**And once again, thank you to those who reviewed. I love reading them, no matter how few there are. *sighs* I do miss the days of getting ten reviews at the very least per chapter. Those were the days!**


	4. A Narnian Lullaby

**Chapter 4: A Narnian Lullaby**

The creature that Lucy saw was half man and half goat. A red scarf was tied around his neck, an umbrella was in his hand, and his had many brown-wrapped packages in his arms. His head snapped up at Lucy scream and he dropped everything in his arms in surprise. Lucy ducked behind the lamp post to hide, though it did very little good. For a minute of silence, they stared at each other. Lucy's eyes flickered down to where one of the packages had fallen. She gently picked it up and brushed the snow off of it, then held it out to him.

"You dropped this..." She said, stating the obvious.

"What are you?" The creature asked as he took the parcel from her. Lucy stared at him in confusion.

"English please." Lucy replied. She put her hands on her hips, and for a moment she resembled a certain raven haired brother of hers in a startling way.

"You're not a...Daughter Of Eve?"

"My mum's name is Helen." Lucy said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It was about this time that something in her mind clicked and told her that the creature in front of her was a faun.

"Excuse my asking, but...Are you...human?" The faun asked her.

"Of course I'm human. What else would I be?" Lucy said as she rolled her eyes. She extended her hand as a sign of truce. "I'm Lucy Pevensie."

The faun stared at her outstretched hand and there was a moment of silence between them. Lucy sighed.

"You're supposed to shake it." She explained patiently.

"Why?" The faun asked.

"You know... I don't know!" Lucy said. She made a mental note to find out whenever she got home. "People do it when they meet each other."

The faun smiled warmly and reached out to shake her hand. "Well then, allow me to introduce myself, Lucy Pevensie. My name is Tumnus."

"Well then, Mr. Tumnus..." Lucy began as she looked over her shoulder at the trees surrounding them. "Could you please tell me where I am?"

He stared at her for a moment, taken aback. "You mean you don't know?"

Lucy shook her head. "I came in through the wardrobe in the spare room." She explained.

"War Drobe? Spare Oom?" Tumnus asked with a confused look on his face. Lucy opened her mouth to correct him but Tumnus plowed on ahead before she could speak. "I've never heard of those places and I've lived in Narnia my entire life!"

"Narnia?" Lucy asked, testing the name on her tongue. "What's Narnia?"

"Silly girl, this _is _Narnia!" The faun said, looking at her as if she had grown a second head. "From the lamppost to the shores of the Easter Ocean, every stick and stone you see... is Narnia."

"It's beautiful." She said, looking at the falling show. Lucy turned back to Tumnus. "Is it real?"

"Real? Of course it is. It's as real as your nose." Tumnus said as he tweaked her nose. "Which, might I add, is freezing! Where are my manners?" He muttered the last sentence to himself. He then stood up straight and said in a formal tone of voice to Lucy, "Lucy Pevensie, from the land of Spare Oom, how would it be if you came and had tea with me?"

Lucy grinned, but then looked back into the woods. "That does sound nice, but I really should be getting back."

"It's just around the corner. There'll be a roaring fire, cakes, toast...and sardines." Tumnus prompted. When Lucy scrunched up her nose as the mention of the small fish he made amends. "Alright, no sardines then."

Still, Lucy hesitated. Tumnus offered her his arm. "It's not every day that I get to have tea with a human."

"Well, I guess I could go... But only for a little while." She said, giving him a small grin that had a hint of mischief to it. "As long as there aren't any sardines."

=XxX=

Tumnus' home was a cozy little cave not far from the lamppost. Lucy glanced around at the inside of his home. There was a bookshelf, a table, a few chairs, a fireplace, a table, and all of the workings of a normal house. There was nothing to say that it was carved out of stone. She sat comfortably in a chair even though her feet dangled a few inches off of the ground.

"Is it always this cold in Narnia?" Lucy asked as Tumnus poured out tea for the two of them.

"Only the last hundred years." He said offhandedly as he sat across from her. "We're having a bad winter."

There was a moment of silence between the two of them as they drank their tea.

"How's your tea?" The faun asked, nervousness evident in his voice. "It's too warm isn't it? Is that how humans like it?"

Lucy smiled at him. "It's fine. Don't worry. We like it just the way you do."

"Oh. Good!" Tumnus smiled. Then he caught sight of a painting of a gray-haired faun on the table next to him. When Lucy bent down to pull up her sock, he laid the painting face down. He nervously looked at Lucy. "I don't suppose you've heard any Narnian lullabies?"

"No."

"Good." He said as he walked over to one of the bookshelves. He opened a box on one of the higher shelves and produced a strange looking pan pipe. He lifted the instrument to his lips with a sad twinkle in his eyes. "Because this probably won't sound anything like one."

A lilting melody filled the air in his small home. Lucy listened as she stared into the snapping fireplace. She quietly sipped her tea and blinked as she felt consciousness beginning to slip from her. Her eyes began to droop yet Tumnus smiled reassuringly and continued to play until she slumped in her chair and was fast asleep. He stared at her innocent face and his eyes darted away and he stared into the fire. His eyes went wide. There, in the flames, was the head of a massive lion. He jumped back as it roared. The fire went out, leaving the two of them in darkness.

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**Author's Note: **

**Thank you for all of the reviews and messages telling me to have a good time on my mini-vacation. :) It means a lot. Due to a few people asking me to go ahead and update, I went ahead and posted this chapter since it was just sitting in my docs. I hope you all enjoyed it! I know it's short, but at least it's an update!**

**Leave a smiley if you liked it!**


	5. The White Witch

**Chapter 5: The White Witch**

Lucy's eyes fluttered open to a dark room. Still groggy from her nap, it took her a moment to realize where exactly she was. After the initial shock wore off she blinked away the rest of the sleep in her eyes and stretched her arms and legs, yawning.

"Goodness! I must have dozed off." She said as she looked around the now darkened room. "Everything's been simply lovely, but I really must be going now."

"It's no good now." Tumnus muttered quite ominously. He twisted the flute in his hands, his knuckles white.

"Mr. Tumnus, you're scaring me." Lucy said. As she spoke, the flute shattered in the faun's hands causing them both to jump at the noise and shock of the action.

"I'm such a terrible faun!"

"Don't say things like that!" Lucy commanded. "You're the nicest faun that I've ever met!"

Tumnus smiled at her sadly. "Then I'm afraid that you've had a very poor sampling."

"Mr. Tumnus, since I've been here you've been nothing but lovely to me!" Lucy protested. Tumnus looked at the shattered flute in his hands, refusing to look in her eyes. Lucy sighed. "Look, whatever it is that you say that you've done, I'm sure that you are sorry."

"No, Lucy. It's not something I _have _done." Tumnus said. The air in the room seemed to get thicker as he looked up at her with haunted eyes. "It's something I _am _doing."

Lucy paled, but asked anyways. "What are you doing?"

"I'm kidnapping you." He said, barely even whispering. Lucy began to back away from him, bumping into the table in the process. A teacup fell off in the process, shattering on the floor. Neither of them seemed to care or notice, and even if they did it wasn't of any importance at this time.

"I don't understand..."

"The White Witch." Tumnus muttered darkly. "The _Queen of Narnia_. She's the one who makes it always winter, always cold. She gave specific orders to anyone, that if we were to ever find a human in the woods, we were to turn it over to _her_."

Tumnus' eyes welled with tears and Lucy handed him a dainty lace handkerchief that she had in one of her pockets. He dried his eyes and stared down at the delicate _L_ embroidered on the corner.

"But Mr. Tumnus... You wouldn't... Would you?" Lucy asked tentatively. There was a heavy silence in the room. Neither of them seemed to be able to breathe. Lucy tried again. "I thought you were my friend..."

This seemed to do the trick. A spark of determination filled his eyes with fire and he leaped to his feet. He turned around and grabbed his scarf, looking at her as if she were mad.

"What are you doing standing there? We've got to get you home. Her secret police could be here any moment!"

=XxX=

Tumnus and Lucy crashed through the snow, not caring now who heard them. It was a race against the clock and time was running out. Their old footprints were destroyed by new ones as they ran from his home in desperation.

"The woods are full of her spies." Tumnus said, his voice quiet and low. "Even some of the trees on are on her side!"

Lucy cast a glance upwards at the ominous looking pines that they were currently under and shuddered at the thought of trees reporting to an evil queen. But her thoughts were interrupted as Tumnus suddenly stopped, causing her to bump into him. She looked up at the lamppost, almost amazed at how fast they had made it there.

Tumnus turned to Lucy once more. "Can you make your way back from here?"

"I think so." She replied, casting a look over her shoulder. "What about you. Will you be all right?"

"If I'm lucky, she'll just turn me to stone." He said, tears welling up in his eyes again as he handed her back her handkerchief. "I'm so sorry, Lucy Pevensie. I almost..."

Lucy pushed his hand back. "Keep it. You need it more than I do."

"Thank you. Now go!"

Lucy raced away, waving one more time before she plunged through the trees. She tumbled out of the wardrobe into the warm upstairs room. She was still so excited about her recent adventure that she didn't even register the fact that Peter was still counting for their game of hide and seek.

"Ninety-nine, one-hundred! Ready or not, here I come!" Peter called. His voice echoed through the halls as Lucy threw open the spare room's door.

"It's all right!" She shouted as she ran down the stairs. Edmund poked his head from behind a curtain.

"Would you _hush_! He's coming!" Edmund snapped just as Peter rounded the corner at the end of the hallway. "Great. Thanks a lot, Lucy." Edmund muttered darkly under his breath.

"I'm not sure you two have quite got the idea of this game." Peter said as he marched up to the two of them. Lucy gaped at her brothers.

"Weren't you wondering where I was?"

"That _is _the point of the game, isn't it?" Edmund drawled, crossing his arms. "You were hiding, and he was seeking you."

Susan chose this moment to lift the lid of the window seat. "Does this mean I win?" She asked.

"I don't think Lucy wants to play anymore." Peter said, shaking his head.

"But I _was_ playing!" Lucy protested, her voice snappish. Her siblings eyes widened. This wasn't like her. Lucy almost never snapped. "I was hiding in the wardrobe, and the next thing I new I was in a wood and it was snowing..." She trailed off as all of her siblings exchanged puzzled looks. "I've been gone for hours!" She insisted.

A minute later, Lucy was dragging her siblings to the wardrobe. "You can all see for yourselves!"

She pulled open the wardrobe to see only coats, causing her face to drop. Susan pulled apart the coats to reveal the back of the wardrobe. She rapped against the back of it with her knuckles.

"Sorry, Lucy. The only wood in here is the back of the wardrobe." Susan said. Lucy was crestfallen.

"Good one, Lu. Had me going." Peter said. Lucy barged past him and searched the wardrobe, her eyes filling with tears. Susan and Peter shared a look behind her back. She turned around to see them looking at each other and her eyes filling with fury.

"It's true!" She shouted. "I wouldn't lie about this!"

"I believe you." Edmund piped up. Everyone turned to him.

"You do?" Lucy asked, eyes shining with hope.

"Of course." Edmund replied. "It happens to me all the time! I found a cricket pitch in the bathroom cupboard just this morning." Peter punched Edmund in the arm as Lucy fled the room in tears. "Ow! What was that for?"

"As if things aren't difficult enough!" Peter snapped.

"You _always _take her side!" Edmund yelled as he stormed out of the room. Susan heaved a sigh and shut the wardrobe with a firm click.

Later that night, Lucy tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. She stared at the ceiling of the room that she and Susan shared. A rumbling noise disturbed the night's silence. Lucy looked over to see her sister snoring. She groaned. It was yet another thing to hinder her from sleeping. She sighed and rolled out of bed. A few minutes later, she emerged from her room with a coat and shoes on. Candle in hand, she looked down the hallway making sure that no one was there. She then proceeded to scamper up the stairs to the spare room.

It was merely seconds after Lucy started up the stairs before Edmund stepped out of the bathroom. He noticed the dim light coming from the staircase and grinned when he saw that the girls' door was slightly ajar. _Lucy. _He thought. Grinning, he slowly crept up the stairs after her being sure to avoid the creaky boards.

Meanwhile, in the spare room, Lucy was staring at the wardrobe with a contemplative look. Her hand hesitated over the handle. She chewed on her lip and threw a glance over her shoulder as if someone had followed her. She rolled her eyes. Of course no one had followed her. She slowly pulled the door open. A soft wind was carried from somewhere deep inside the wardrobe causing her lips to quirk up to the side as the candle was extinguished. Lucy carefully set the candle on the floor as it was no longer needed, and cast one more glance backwards before plunging forward into the wardrobe, all her fears long forgotten.

After waiting for several minutes, not hearing any noise, Edmund stepped from the shadows into the slightly moonlit hallway and reached for the knob on the spare room's door. He turned it slowly, being careful not to make any noise only to find an empty room that lay bare and silent before him. He arched an eyebrow and gave a slight smirk at the open wardrobe door and the unlit candle on the floor. He crept forward to the wardrobe and quietly climbed inside. He pushed a few of the fur coats to the side as he moved, and gave one last smirk before he shut the wardrobe's door leaving him in darkness. He moved on forward through the sea of coats, soon after stumbling from the darkness into a bright light. The sudden contrast between the lighting blinded him for a moment and he blinked furiously to be able to see. When he found himself able to open his eyes and see clearly, what he saw had him frozen in his tracks.

He gazed in wonder at the swirling flurries of snow that danced around as he stood frozen, almost literally, in what was obviously a forest clearing. He felt his insides twist in a horrible way and he felt terrible for playing Lucy for a fool the day before. How could anyone see this and _not _want to talk about it?

"Lucy?" He called as he began to trudge forward through the snow, finally finding himself able to speak and move. "Lucy! I think I believe you now"

He moved forwards until he was greeted by the sight of an iron lamppost. He stared at the streetlight that was so out of place in this frozen wood. He shivered and rubbed his arms as a chilled wind blew straight through his thin nightclothes. He turned his head to look back at where the wardrobe would have been, contemplating whether or not he should go back. A sudden noise in the near distance caught his attention and he turned quickly. Sleigh bells.

His initial reaction was to hide from whatever was heading his direction. Moving quickly, he tried to hide behind a nearby tree. A flash of red and black appeared and splattered him with snow, causing him to cry out in indignation without a second thought. The huge sleigh pulled by hard-charging white reindeer pulled to a quick halt. Edmund barely had time to realize that it had stopped before the mean-eyed dwarf at the reins of the sleigh was after him. The raven-haired boy scrambled through the snow but quickly found that dwarves were faster than they looked and was pinned to the ground with a knife pressed to his throat.

"What is it now, Ginnarbrik?" A voice from inside the sleigh asked in an almost bored tone.

"I'm not sure, your majesty." The dwarf replied, grabbing Edmund's hair to take a better look at his face. "If it's a dwarf, it's an ugly one."

Edmund made another sound of protest as a figure stepped out of the sleigh. He couldn't see the figure but it was tall and moved effortlessly over the snow.

"Let him go." The female voice said. "I want to see his face, whatever he is."

Edmund's head was released and the dwarf left the hold he had on him. Edmund turned in the snow and just sat there and stared at the woman before him. She had a fierce look in her eyes that were as cold as the crown of ice on top of her head. She carried herself in a way that demanded respect, and still Edmund couldn't help but blurt out the first thing that popped into his head.

"Gosh. You're really tall."

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**I apologize for the short delay, you guys. I meant to post this yesterday. I woke up in the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep, so I posted when I remembered. I'm not completely happy with this chapter, since it seemed a little rushed to me. But, I'll let you guys be the judges. If I remember correctly, Ari came back in at the end of chapter 7 of my original version. This version of the story is a bit more lengthy, but she'll be back soon enough!**

**Yes, I know the song doesn't really fit the chapter. But... It was all I had. XD**

**Leave a smiley face if you liked it! :) **


	6. Turkish Delight

**Chapter 6: Turkish Delight**

"Gosh you're really tall." Edmund blurted out before he could stop himself, causing the dwarf to jab at him with the blade that was pressed against his neck moments before.

"Is that any way to address the Queen?" The dwarf asked, his voice dangerous and low.

_How the hell was I supposed to know she was the bloody Queen?_ Edmund thought, but kept to himself. He lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender and said, "I promise you, I didn't know, your majesty."

A slow smirk spread across the Queen's face but the dwarf didn't take any notice. He snorted at Edmund's comment and pressed the knife forward.

"Not know the Queen of Narnia?" He asked. "You shall know her better hereafter."

Edmund shut his eyes tightly as Ginarrbrik's arm raised the knife but the pain never came. The Queen spoke up once more, stopping the dwarf's actions.

"Ginarrbrik, that's not how we treat our guests." She spoke, her voice taking on a sickeningly sweet tone. The dwarf lowered his knife and turned to her in confusion but when her gaze hardened he backed away from Edmund completely. She stared down at Edmund, her icy gaze boring a hole into his head. Edmund swallowed, not sure whether he should feel threatened or not.

"What is your name, Son of Adam?" She asked after a moment, causing the dwarf to raise a hairy eyebrow.

"Edmund." He said, his voice quiet and meek.

"Edmund! That's a splendid name." She said, casting what seemed at the time to be a genuine smile at him. "Come dear, you look so cold. Those are hardly the kind of clothes for this kind of weather. Join me?" She asked, extending a slender, pale hand to him. He looked at her once more and somewhere deep in his mind he knew that something wasn't right. That this was all wrong.

"I'm fine." He said a little bit too quickly. Her eyes flashed darkly with some deep emotion that he wasn't sure how to place and he swallowed thickly.

"All right." He consented. "Thank you."

She turned and moved back to her sleigh, pulling a polar bear fur blanket from the seat. She seated him next to her and wrapped the blanket around him.

"Perhaps you would like something hot to drink, Edmund?" She said after a few moments. Edmund considered this. He had always been taught not to take anything from strangers, and Peter definitely wouldn't have anything to do with this woman. He gritted his teeth. Peter had been nothing but a thorn in his side since their father had left to fight in the war. Forget Peter and all of his stupid rules. He decided to throw caution to the wind and go with whatever happened.

"That sounds wonderful." He said finally. He watched as the Queen pulled out a small copper colored vial. She popped the top off and tilted the vial to the side, just slightly. A singly drop fell downwards and into the snow. Edmund could do nothing but gape as the snow melted _upwards _and into a steaming, jeweled cup.

He hesitated slightly when the dwarf handed him the goblet. He eyed the drink suspiciously before steeling himself and taking a long gulp of the drink. He felt the warmness of the most wonderful hot chocolate that he had ever tasted in his life slip down his throat. His shivering stopped as he drank another long gulp, letting a grin split his face.

"It is dull, Son of Adam, to drink without eating." The Queen said as he was nearing the end of the hot chocolate. "What would you like to eat?"

"Can you make _anything_?" He asked after some consideration, lifting a single dark eyebrow.

"Anything that you can imagine, and probably some that you can't." She said, smiling, though it was more of a smirk.

"Turkish delight." Edmund said immediately, his mouth already watering at the thought of the treat.

Her eyes glittered as she tipped the vial once more, this time dropping out a ruby-colored pearl. A glittering box was left behind. Edmund quickly ripped off the ribbons holding the lid on the box when it was handed to him. He openly gaped at the rows of sweets that lay in the box. It made him not want to touch it and devour it all at the same time. He gingerly picked a piece of the candy up and placed it in his mouth. His eyes glazed over as he chewed.

"Tell me, Edmund." The Queen said after a moment of silence between the trio. "How did you come to enter my kingdom?"

Edmund considered this for a moment. "I don't really know. Honestly, I was just following my little sister, and-"

"There are more of you?" She cut him off quickly. Edmund didn't notice the tone of urgency that her voice took, and answered without hesitation.

"There are four in all. Me, Peter, Susan, and Lucy." He said before taking another bite of Turkish Delight. He missed the alarmed look that the dwarf sent his queen.

"Four?" She asked evenly, her voice void of any emotion. Edmund nodded, wiping a bit of the sticky treat off of his mouth.

"Lucy came first, and I followed her. She told us that he had tea with a faun, but none of us believed her." Edmund told her.

"If your brother and sister are as delightful as you are, I would very much like to meet them." She said to Edmund, her voice dripping with honey.

"They're nothing special." Edmund muttered. The Queen chose to ignore the cloud that seemed to cover the young man's face and plowed on ahead.

"It makes me sad, Edmund, but I have no children of my own." She said, a sad looking coming over her face. "If you were to somehow prove yourself to me, it is very possible that you may one day become a Price of Narnia. Perhaps even King!" She gushed.

Edmund thought for a moment about the thought of being royalty. This brought a smile to his face but for only a brief moment. The grin faded as he thought of his siblings. "You'd likely choose Peter over me."

"I've already chosen you." She said, false warmness on her face. "Of course you'd need your family to come to me as well. What's a king without servants?"

This statement alone caused Edmund to feel some unease in the pit of his stomach, but like before, he chose to ignore it and embrace the thought that his family would be serving him one day. "Peter would be _my _servant one day?" He asked tentatively. The Queen nodded.

"All you'd have to do is bring your siblings to my home." She said, gesturing to the mountains in the distance. "It's just between those two hills."

Edmund gave her a small smile as he stepped down from the sleigh. He cast a longing glance at the now empty box that once held his favorite treat. He looked back to the Queen with a hopeful look in his eyes. "Could I possibly have just a bit more-"

"At my home, there are rooms just _full_ of Turkish Delight!" She said as the dwarf cracked his whip and the reindeer sprang to life once again. She gave a light laugh as the sleigh pulled into the distance. "What fun we're going to have! Don't forget! Come soon!"

Edmund stood alone as he watched the sleigh being pulled into the white, hazy, distance. He pondered over what he had heard. Would the temptation really be great enough that he would sell out his own siblings? He hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be so, but somewhere deep inside of him he knew this wasn't the correct answer. He knew that if his siblings drove him to it like they had been for the past God knows how long, he'd give them up without a moment's hesitation. He was so lost in his own thoughts that it wasn't until she was almost upon him that he heard the footsteps clomping through the snow.

"Edmund!" A familiar voice called to him. The footsteps quickened and he turned around just in time to see Lucy come barreling into him, sending the both of them back into the snow.

"You got in too!" Lucy said excitedly, waving her arms in the air as they sat in the snow. "I told you it was real. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Where've you been?" Edmund asked, his words coming out a little sharper than he intended initially. "I looked for you, but you never turned up."

"I've been with Mr. Tumnus. But of course you don't know where he lives." Lucy replied, stating this last part mostly to herself. "It's a miracle that the White Witch hasn't found out about him helping me. I guess if she hasn't found out by now, she won't, so everything's going to be all right after all!"

"Who's the White Witch?" Edmund asked, but already knew the answer as he stared at the sleigh tracks in the snow.

"She calls herself the Queen of Narnia, but she's not. She's a terrible witch who makes this place always winter and turns anyone she doesn't like to stone." Lucy said, her voice quiet. "Even some of the trees are on her side."

Edmund shivered and pulled his clothes tighter around him. A feeling of dread was beginning to take over his entire being. What had he just done? Had he just sold his soul to the equivalent of the Devil? Lucy took notice of how he seemed to be a bit green and moved to feel his forehead.

"Do you feel alright, Edmund?" She asked sincerely. "You look awful."

"Well, it's pretty poor sport sitting in the snow freezing like this." Edmund said, shoving her hand off of his face. He got to his feet and looked around. "How are we supposed to get out of here?"

"Of course you wouldn't pay attention to where you're going." Lucy said, rolling her eyes. She stood up and started walking. "Come on, slowpoke. I'll show you."

* * *

**Author's Note: There's really not much for me to say, here this time. I was just extremely busy and didn't have the time to post. But, here it is anyways. It's not my favorite chapter, but it's okay. I'm trying to make it seem like more of a conscious choice that Edmund chose to go to the White Witch. Hopefully that works out the way I had hoped...**

**Leave a smiley if you enjoyed it!**


	7. Liar

**Chapter 7: Liar**

Edmund and Lucy tumbled out of the wardrobe in a heap. Before Edmund could open his mouth to speak or even get off the ground, Lucy was off like a rocket. He called out for her to slow down but she was already halfway to the room she and Susan were sharing.

"Susan!" Lucy shouted as she jumped on the bed to shaker her sister. Susan groaned and rolled over.

"Go back to sleep, Lucy." Susan mumbled. "You're dreaming."

"But I'm not!" Lucy protested. "Just ask Edmund."

Lucy turned around to look at her brother, but he wasn't there. She paused for a brief moment before she launched herself at the door and raced across the hall to Peter and Edmund's room. Susan huffed and threw off the blankets before she shuffled across the hall. She found Lucy jumping on Peter's bed while Edmund slouched in his.

"Peter! Peter, wake up! It's there! It's really there!" Lucy shouted excitedly as she shook him.

"What are you on about, Lu?" Peter asked groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Lucy was bouncing as she answered.

"Narnia!" Lucy exclaimed. "It's all in the wardrobe like I told you! And this time, Edmund went too!"

All heads turned towards Edmund who was looking a bit green. Lucy beamed at him, waiting for his answer. Just as Edmund opened his mouth to speak he was cut off by a stern and cross voice.

"What in the world is going on here?" Mrs. Macready asked. She stood in the doorway in a flannel nightgown, a dark expression on her face. Edmund's dark eyes stared blankly for a moment before he spoke.

"Nothing." He said as he smiled thinly at his sister. "Lucy and I were just playing a game."

Lucy hopeful expression crumbled. She jumped off of Peter's bed and pushed past the housekeeper in tears. She tore down the hall, not knowing where she was going. Susan scrambled off after her while Mrs. Macready turned to the boys with an unpleasant expression.

"I don't know what kind of home you all come from, but here in this house we sleep at night!" She snapped. She turned on her heel and shut the door with a click.

"That's the trouble with little kids." Edmund said, looking satisfied. "They don't know when to stop-"

"Will you just grow up?" Peter shouted at his brother.

"But it's all nonsense!" Edmund protested.

"Of course it's nonsense!" Peter fumed. "That's why encouraging her is just making things worse!"

"But I thought-" Edmund started.

"No! That's the problem!" Peter snapped. "You _didn't_ think! You never use your brain!"

"Shut up!" Edmund sneered. "You're _not _dad! Stop acting like him!"

"Well someone has to!"

"I wish you weren't even my brother!" Edmund shouted. Peter froze and shut his mouth quickly. His eyes darkened before he stalked out of the room to find Susan.

=XxX=

The next day Susan had decided to go to the owner of the house with the problem with Lucy. She was nearly dragging Peter up the stairs.

"I really don't think we should disturb him…" Peter mumbled as he dragged his heels.

"Why?" Susan asked, trying to look self-assured. "Are you scared?"

"No!" Peter protested. "We don't even know him! Shouldn't we just keep this in the family?"

"Has that been working so far?" Susan asked thickly. "We have to do something."

They paused as they reached the door to the Professor's study. Peter lifted a hand and knocked softly on the door.

"There's no answer! Let's go!" He said, not even waiting. Susan grabbed his collar and pulled him back as she heard a voice telling them to enter. Susan turned the knob and opened the door.

The walls of the study were lined with shelves, each of them crammed full of books of all sizes and little trinkets that came from various parts of the world. A massive desk sat beneath a window, and behind it sat a white-haired man. His eyes scanned over an old book, his glasses glinting in the light shining through the window.

"Professor Kirke?" Peter asked shyly, which was very unlike him.

"Ah! Children, do come in!" He said casually without looking up from his book. "Is everything alright?"

"Actually, sir, we have a question about our sister." Susan said. The Professor looked up, interest shining in his eyes.

"She's… Well, she's been lying." Peter blurted without thinking. Susan elbowed him in the ribs for his lack of tact.

"That's a very serious accusation." Professor Kirke answered as he looked back at his book.

"She says that she's found a magical land called Narnia in the upstairs wardrobe!" Peter blurted out, earning another elbow in the ribs from Susan. The Professor's head snapped up and he stared at the two in disbelief.

"What did you say?" He asked, his voice so low it was almost a whisper.

"Um… The wardrobe upstairs…" Peter trailed off as the Professor stood up and ushered the two teenagers to sit on the couch in front of the desk.

"Lucy insists that she's found a forest inside of it." Susan continued for Peter.

"What was it like?" The Professor asked, his voice excited.

"Like talking to a lunatic!" Susan exclaimed.

"Not her!" The Professor said. "The forest! What was it like?"

"You're saying that you believe her?" Peter asked as he looked at Susan in confusion.

"Well, how are you to know that her story isn't true?" Professor Kirke challenged.

"Edmund said that they were just playing a game." Susan replied, frowning. This professor wasn't making things any better.

"And he's usually the more truthful?" He asked. Susan and Peter shared a look and both shook their heads.

"That's just it." Susan said. "Up until now I would have said Lucy was very honest."

"Do you think that she's mad? Insane?" The older man asked cryptically.

"Probably not." Peter replied, eying him suspiciously as he took a pipe from the hand of a wooden monkey.

"What do they teach in schools these days?" The Professor muttered to himself as he unscrewed a silver apple, revealing a core of tobacco. He lit his pipe and waved away a puff of smoke. "If your sister isn't lying, and she's not mad, then _logically_, until further evidence turns up we must assume that she's telling the truth."

"But it's impossible!" Susan exclaimed.

"There's that word. It seems to make everything smaller somehow, doesn't it?" He absentmindedly said to the two. Peter and Susan gaped at him as he pulled up a chair.

"Now… What did Lucy say, exactly?"

An hour later Susan and Peter stepped out of the study with dazed expressions mimicking a deer in the headlights of a car.

"Well, that was unexpected." Peter said, looking at the door.

"Oh yes. And really helpful too." Susan said bitterly. "Now what are we supposed to do?!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Once again, thank you guys for the lovely reviews! I'm sorry about the delay on this chapter. I've been pretty busy with the upkeep of my new blog that seems to be quite popular. In just a week, I've gained over one-hundred followers! It's a Headcanon blog for Harry Potter. :) **

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was a long time coming..**


	8. The Truth

**Chapter 8: The Truth**

Lucy sat with a glum expression in one of the chairs in the game room. Of course they would be hoarded away when there was a tour group in town. She looked out the window at the several cards and buses that were parked in the drive. She gave a frown and perked up her ears when she heard the radio change from music to a man's voice talking.

"We interrupt this broadcast for a bulletin from the front." The announcer said. "German forces swept past Allied troops today-"

The sentence was cut short as Susan quickly turned the dial to a different station. From across the room, Peter studied his youngest sister from his seat by the ping-pong table. Beneath it, Edmund was lazily drawing circles in the wood. Peter picked up a ping-pong ball and batted it over to Lucy. It bounced lightly off of her head and landed in her lap.

"Was that in or out?" He asked her, hoping for a smile. She picked the ball up off of her lap and dropped it to the floor. She ignored him and continued staring out of the window. Peter sighed. "Come on, Lucy. You ping, I'll pong."

Lucy shook her head while Susan snickered. Edmund slid out from underneath the table and picked up a paddle.

"I'll play!" He said, moving towards the table but his face fell when he realized that nobody was paying him any mind. Susan and Peter were kneeling down next to Lucy and took no notice of him. He scowled and dropped the paddle he was holding to the floor in irritation. He stalked into the next room.

"You and me, Lucy." Susan said to her sister, an evil glint in her eyes. "Peter can't take both of us."

"That sounds like a challenge to me." Peter said, eying Susan with suspicion. Susan pulled Lucy into a standing position and put a paddle into her hand. They put the ball into play. Peter did his best to ward of his sisters at the beginning, but when Lucy still wouldn't grace them with a smile he started playing with his left hand, tried hopping on one leg, and made exaggerated movements. Finally, Lucy smiled. Lucy laughed as she served, hitting Peter on the nose.

In the other room, Edmund's scowl deepened as he heard their laughter. He stared down at a huge sword in a glass case and thought for a moment. He then opened the case and grabbed the sword. He gave a smirk before walking back to the game room.

"Bow down for King Edmund!" He shouted. His siblings' heads turned to see him holding the sword, a wicked gleam in his eyes. Peter laughed and struck a combat stance with his paddle.

"En garde!" Peter said as they thrust and parried across the room. Edmund's arms struggled with the weight of the sword, and at a moment's hesitation from him Peter darted in and tapped Edmund's cheek causing the girls to laugh. His face went red, insulted by their amusement. He took a savage swing that went out of control due to the weight of the over-sized sword. Susan screamed as the blade flew at Peter. He dove out of the way just as the sword crashed into a suit of armor where his head had been moments before. Silver pieces flew apart and clattered on the floor. Edmund dropped the sword to the ground with a clang, as if it had been on fire.

"Edmund, what were you thinking?!" Susan shouted, her voice strangled. Edmund gaped at the shattered armor, not knowing what to say. His eyes went wide as he heard a voice from the adjacent room. It was Mrs. Macready's voice.

"And in the next room, you'll see a remarkable example of Fourteenth Century plate armor..."

"Great timing, Ed!" Peter muttered, as the footsteps of the tour group sounded in the hall.

"Come on!" Susan said, pulling Peter to his feet. They dashed out of the opposite door. They rushed up the stairs, but footsteps clattered behind them. They ran down the hall. Footsteps rumbled in front of them. They raced around the maze of passages, footsteps sounding all around them.

"She seems to be giving a very thorough tour." Edmund grumbled sarcastically as they rounded a corner. They all skidded to a halt in front of the wardrobe room's door. When footsteps sounded behind them they didn't give a second thought before running in. They all breathed a sigh of relief in the quiet room. Until the footsteps resumed, just outside the door. Peter looked at Susan and they both looked at the wardrobe.

"All right, then." Peter said before practically dragging Susan to the wardrobe. Lucy and Edmund were already scrambling inside. They left the door ajar so a tiny sliver of light peeked through. Peter put his eye to the crack just as the doorknob started to turn. He turned around and pushed his siblings further into the wardrobe. Peter kept moving forward until something snagged his foot and he fell forwards, taking Susan down with him.

"Peter?"

"What Susan?" He grumbled, rubbing his head.

"Does it feel cold to you?" She asked. Peter opened his eyes and was nearly blinded by white. He gaped at the snow-covered forest that now surrounded them. Susan looked up at the trees with amazement.

"Don't worry..." Lucy said as she stepped up next to them. "I'm sure it's just your imagination."

"Oh my God!" Susan exclaimed while Peter turned to look at Lucy sheepishly.

"I don't suppose saying that we're sorry would quite cover it..." The eldest Pevensie said.

"You're right. It wouldn't." Lucy replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She gave a slight smirk before hurling a snowball at an unsuspecting Peter. "But that might!"

Peter scooped up some of the snow from around it and threw it at Lucy without balling it up, causing her to shriek. When Susan was hit by a passing snowball the three of them scrambled into a brief but wild snowball fight that lasted for longer than any of them initially planned. It only ended when a stray snowball flew through the air and hit a very guilty and now angry looking Edmund in the face.

"Oww! Stop it!" He complained, wiping the snow from his face. Everyone froze and they all stared at the raven-haired teenager. Peter gave a low whistle.

"You _were _here, weren't you!" Peter accused, anger contorting his face.

"You didn't believe her either!" Edmund snapped. Peter squared his jaw.

"Apologize to Lucy." He said in a deathly low voice, calm as ever.

"It was just a joke!" Edmund protested. Peter's hand snapped forward and he grabbed Edmund's arm, twisting it behind him.

"Say you're sorry!"

"Stop it!" Lucy shrieked. "You're hurting him!"

"Say it!" Peter snapped.

"Alright! I'm sorry!" Edmund shouted, wincing as Peter tightened his grip on his arm. Peter let him go and stepped back from him. All four of them stood in silence for a few moments. Surprisingly, Edmund was the first to speak.

"Maybe we should go back." He said as he stared at the two dark hills that loomed in the distance. An involuntary shudder ran through him.

"Well, I think that Lucy should decide what we should do." Peter said. Lucy gave him a huge grin.

"Let's go see Mr. Tumnus!"

"Mr. Tumnus it is then!" Peter grinned. Edmund got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach but it was Susan who protested.

"We can't just go hiking in the snow dressed like this!" She said, gesturing to how they were all dressed. Peter just nodded and then reached back into the wardrobe. He tossed a fur coat at her. She looked down at it in disbelief but Lucy was already reaching in to grab one of her own.

"I suppose the Professor wouldn't mind us borrowing them for a little while." Lucy said as she wrapped herself in the thick fur.

"If you think about it _logically_, we're not even taking them out of the wardrobe." Peter said as he stuck his arms through the sleeves in one of the coats. He reached back in and handed Edmund a coat that was particularly feminine.

"That's a _girl's_ coat!" Edmund protested. Peter just shoved it at him. Edmund glared but put it on anyways. It _was _cold here.

The four of them began walking through the white wood, Lucy leading the way. Susan and Peter gaped at the lamp post as they passed it. Susan walked stiffly, her hands in her pockets to keep them warm. While walking, she lost her footing and slipped, ending up on her back. She stared up at the snow flurries falling down, some of them falling on her face. She finally smiled and opened her arms to make a snow angel.

"It's so beautiful." She whispered, awestruck. Peter helped her off of the ground and the group started moving again. They wound their way through the towering rocks above them towards Tumnus' house. Lucy lead them through the maze of rocks and around a corner, but then stopped dead in her tracks. The others nearly bumped into her due to her sudden stop.

"What's going on, Lu?" Peter asked, concern evident on his face. Lucy just stared at the door in the distance that had been wrenched off of it's hinges. Peter followed her line of sight and reached to hold her back but she was already running for the door. Peter called out for her to stop but she was already nearing the door. Peter huffed and dashed after her, Susan right behind him. Only Edmund stayed frozen where he was, his attention caught by something else. A flash of orange-red in the corner of his eye. He turned to see a pale face and inquisitive green eyes.

"Who are you?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, there's that chapter. Ari comes back in the next one! Yay! :D It's about time... I've got lots more to do before I can post it though, so it might be a week or so. Bleh. I hate being busy. Anyways... I hope you enjoyed it. :)  
**


	9. Friend, or Foe?

**Chapter 9: Friend, or foe?**

Ariana groaned as she gained consciousness once more. Her head felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it, repeatedly. A shudder ripped through her as her body recognized the cold that surrounded her. She sat up in a hurry which sent her head pounding once more but she was more focused on her surroundings than the pain in her skull. She was surrounded by nothing but blue sky and snow-covered trees.

These were trees unlike any others that she had ever seen, which told her immediately that she wasn't in the forest at the back of the farm, which was extremely strange. Had someone taken her from where she had tripped and carried her to some place far away? It didn't make sense! She shook the thoughts from her head as an involuntary shudder ripped through her body. She was thankful for the jacket that she had but it still did little to keep out the chill that was seeping into her bones. She considered herself lucky that she hadn't already died from the cold. At least her feet were warm due to the boots she was wearing.

She pulled herself into a standing position. Her eyes darted around, looking for some form of life aside form herself and the trees. Her survival instincts were kicking in. No matter how she had survived the cold this long, if she didn't find some place to warm up, and soon, she would freeze to death. There wasn't much she could do at the moment, so she pulled her hood up over her head and started walking. Eventually she'd find something. The trees couldn't go on forever.

The forest gave her an eerie feeling. It was too quiet to be any of the forests near where she lived. That, and it was covered with snow in the middle of July. The only sound that she heard as she walked was the snow crunching beneath her feet. It was as if every inch of the forest had been abandoned.

Her head whipped around as a masculine voice sounded from somewhere in front of her. She thought for a moment that it could be someone dangerous, but anyone was better than no one. Even if it did turn out to be someone of an unsavory sort, she had her trust pocket knife with her. She took of in a sprint towards the voice but skidded to a stop when she saw four people. Two boys and two girls. They were all close to her in age so she didn't consider them a serious threat so she kept moving towards them. All but one of them, a boy with dark hair, took off running towards a broken door in the cliff-side, taking no notice in her. The dark haired boy studied her for a moment before he spoke.

"Who are you?" Edmund asked her. He didn't think that any other humans lived in Narnia, so it was odd to see another besides him and his family.

"I _should_ ask _you_ the same question." Ariana said, halting her advance. Edmund scowled.

"Well, I asked you first!" Edmund snapped. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? Or are you as dumb as you are blind?" She said, her green eyes flashing dangerously at his deep brown ones. He narrowed his eyes. She did _not_ just say that to him.

"You look like you have absolutely no idea where you are and what you're doing here." He replied, trying to be civil.

"Bravo!" She applauded. "Now, would you _kindly _show me the way out of here?"

"You never answered my question." He said, crossing his arms as he leaned against a tree.

"And you never answered _mine_." She replied coolly. His eyes narrowed again, causing her to sigh theatrically. "You know, if you keep narrowing your eyes like that they'll end up getting stuck and you'll look like a really pale Asian."

Edmund's eyes snapped open causing her to let out a peal of laughter, but he hadn't opened them because of her comment. Something had just dawned upon him and he took a few steps toward her with wide eyes. "You're an American!"

"No kidding!" She said, looking at her arms as if she had just figured this out herself. His eyes narrowed once more. She threw up her arms in the air in an exaggerated gesture. "Again with the eyes!"

Edmund stopped walking towards her and sighed. He still couldn't tell if she was friend or foe, but the fact that she was American gave some hint to that. He didn't think that anyone from Narnia would have ever even _heard _of a place called America let alone know the accent well enough to pull it off perfectly. He decided that she wasn't a Narnian and moved towards her again, but still kept her distance. "Are you ever going to tell me your name?"

"You know, I don't have the plague." She commented as she noticed his wariness.

"I don't trust you yet." He replied, having to force himself not to narrow his eyes.

"Have I given you any reason to distrust me?" She asked. He thought for a moment. She _did _have a point.

"Not yet, anyways." Edmund replied. "I'll give you my name if you give me yours."

"Ariana Knight." She grinned, walking forwards. She stuck out her hand to shake his.

"Edmund Pevensie." He said, sticking his hand out as well.

"It's nice to meet you, Edmund." She said as the two shook hands. "I think."

The corner of Edmund's lips twitched at this last part. "You'll soon find out, I guess."

"I suppose so." Ariana said just as a gust of wind blew through the forest. The redheaded girl shivered and pulled her thin jacket closer around her. "If I don't want to freeze to death, I either need to get indoors or find a better coat."

Edmund thought for a moment before shrugging out of his coat, surprising even _himself_ that he was being so noble. It wasn't generally in his nature to be so kind. But this girl's lips _were _changing to an unnatural color and she'd probably freeze to death if she didn't warm up soon. It didn't matter if he barely knew her, he wouldn't watch someone die in front of his eyes when he could stop it. It was just plain... _Wrong._ He thrust the winter coat into her hands causing her to shake her head.

"I can't take this from you!" She protested, looking at his thin frame. "You'll freeze faster than I will."

"Take it." He said to her, his voice taking a no-nonsense tone. "You need it more than I do. Your lips are turning blue. And... It _is _a girl's coat."

"Thank you mister bossy-pants." She muttered under her breath as she put the thick fur coat on. "But what are you supposed to wear?"

"There are more coats that direction." He pointed towards the wardrobe which was out of his line of sight. "I'll go back and get one."

"You're serious about this?" She said, giving him a disbelieving look.

"I'm _not _wearing a girl's coat. No matter how cold it is. I'm not _that _desperate." He said.

"I'd rather wear a coat that I didn't like than freeze to death." She said, crossing her arms.

Edmund scowled at her and turned on his heel. He stalked off in the direction that he had indicated a few moments before. Ari threw her hands in the air. Not knowing what else to do, she walked towards the broken door while muttering about bipolar teenage boys.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, if you're still reading at this point, then I guess that you like it. XD Ari's back! :D Basically, I have nothing else to update you guys with, so...  
**


	10. A New Face

**Chapter 10: A New Face  
**

Lucy stood in the doorway, her mouth open. Susan and Peter filed in behind her taking in the wreckage. A strangled noise left Lucy's throat as she sank to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes. Neither Susan or Peter knew what to do. The little home laid ravaged. Smoke blackened the walls while crockery and furniture lay on the ground, smashed to bits.

"What happened here?" An unfamiliar voice gasped. Susan and Peter turned around to see a red-haired, green-eyed girl standing in the doorway, gaping at the mess. She was wearing Edmund's coat.

"What did you do to Edmund?" Peter asked, his eyes narrowing as he took a protective stance in front of his sisters. Susan was eying her suspiciously while Lucy hadn't taken any notice of her. The girl threw her hands in the air in a defensive gesture.

"I didn't do _anything _to him!" She said.

"Then why are you wearing his coat?" Peter asked, his voice dangerous.

"He _gave _his coat to me and then went off to get a new one!" Ariana said. "He decided to give me his since_ apparently_ my lips were turning blue from the cold."

"That doesn't sound like something Edmund would do." Susan piped up.

"Well he did!" Said the new girl, just as Edmund walked up behind her.

"Whoa." Edmund said as he took in the room, not noticing the gaping stares that his two older siblings were giving him. "Someone should tell him to tidy his room."

Ariana took this chance to smack him on the back of the head. When he gave her a 'what the hell was that for' look, she pointed towards Lucy who was tearfully cradling a broken teacup. Peter arched an eyebrow when Edmund didn't snap back at her, but Edmund didn't notice. He was staring at his sister.

"Who would do something like this?" She whispered. Tears threatened to spill over as she stared into the dark room. Peter stepped forward to comfort her when he noticed a piece of parchment that was nailed to the floor. He picked it up and began to read.\

"The faun Tumnus is hereby charged with high treason against Her Majesty, Jadis, Queen of Narnia, for comforting her enemies and fraternizing with humans. Signed, Maugrim, Captain of the secret police. Long live the Queen." Peter read. He slowly lowered the arrest warrant.

"That's awful!" The redheaded girl exclaimed.

"This is Aria-" Edmund began to introduce her, but was cut off.

"I can introduce myself, thank you very much." She said, giving him a sharp look. Edmund scowled in response but she didn't mind, or really care. "I'm Ari. Just Ari. None of that formal name 'Ariana' stuff."

"I'm Peter."

"Lucy." She said simply, still holding on to the broken teacup for dear life.

"Oh my God, you're a yank!" Susan spluttered instead of giving her name. Ari scowled.

"Hey, now! I'm no yankee. Where I come from that's a serious insult!"

"She means that you're American." Peter interjected. Ari cocked her head to the side.

"Oh. Thank you for noticing. You took less time that Eddie over here." She said, pointing over her shoulder at Edmund who flushed red.

"Eddie?" Peter mouthed at his brother who glared.

"How is the war going for America?" Susan asked, frowning slightly.

"War? What war?" Ari asked, staring at her as if she'd grown a second head. "The last war we were involved in ended years ago."

"No it hasn't!" Edmund snapped suddenly. "It's only been going on for one!"

"What are you talking about?" Ari asked, confused. "I didn't even know England was seriously involved-"

"How can we _not _be seriously involved when the Germans keep bombing us!" Edmund exclaimed, his face filled with anger.

"Germans? Bombing?" Ari asked. Susan and Peter nodded while Edmund seethed. "What war are you _talking _about?"

"How in the world have you _not _heard about it!" Susan exclaimed, waving her hands in the air. She took a deep breath to calm herself. It wasn't like her to just blow up like that, but the War was a touchy subject. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's only _World War Two!_"

"Well that makes _perfect _sense." Ari said, face-palming. "World War Two has been over since nineteen forty-five."

Susan started coughing and spluttering. "But it's only nineteen-forty!"

"Not where I come from, it's not..."

"Well, what year are you from then?" Edmund asked, anger giving way to curiosity.

"Two-thousand and twelve."

"That's impossible!" Susan protested as she shook her head.

"Yes, well so was a magical land called Narnia until I woke up here." Ari bit back sarcastically.

"But-" Peter protested, but was quickly cut off.

"Look, you've got bigger fish to fry than to debate me on what year it is." Ari said, gesturing to the arrest warrant.

"Speaking of which, this would be a _really _good time to go home." Susan said as she grabbed Peter's arm.

"No!" Lucy burst out, turning to face the rest of the group. "We _have _to help him!"

"There's not much we _can _do, Lucy." Susan said as she looked at Peter worriedly.

"We could contact the police." Peter said, trying to be helpful.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but if what I've gathered is correct, these _are _the police." Ari said, tapping the parchment with her finger.

"It's all my fault!" Lucy said as she buried her head in her hands.

"No, it's not!" Susan insisted. Lucy turned to send an icy glare at her sister. She jabbed a finger at the parchment.

"_I'm _the human!" She shouted, tears starting to fall down her face. "He was arrested for not turning me in, and no other reason."

Her words hit Edmund like a ton of bricks. He scowled and turned away from the group, guilt eating away at him already. Nobody even took notice that he had excluded himself from the rest of the conversation.

"What kind of queen does this kind of thing?" Peter frowned.

"It's because she's not a queen! She's a horrible witch, and she's probably already done something horrible, like turn Mr. Tumnus to stone!"

"What?!" Susan looked at her sister in alarm. "Okay, I _really_ think we should go home now."

"We can't just leave him!" Lucy said. She lurched forward and grabbed Susan's arm. The older girl was looking at the entryway as if she were about to bolt.

"Look, Lucy. I don't think there's much we _can _do." Susan said as she jerked her arm back.

"I want to go home." Ari said, causing the group to turn to her. They all gave her questioning stares. She looked at her hands before explaining. "Look, I was just going for a walk in the woods when I tripped and hit my head. For all I know, I'm in a coma and all of this is just a really vivid dream."

"Well, we got here by walking through a wardrobe." Lucy said.

"I don't want to get dragged into some feud between you guys and a witch. I really just want to get back home."

"Well, you won't find a way back to your time by standing around." Lucy replied. "If you help me, you might find someone who can send you back."

"Lucy!" Susan snapped. "You can't just go dragging everyone you meet into this. For all we know, she's one of _them_!"

"Hey now! Just because I-"

"Susan, stop it." Peter interrupted. He gave his sister a hard stare. "If it were Lucy in trouble we'd do everything we could to help out. Dad would want us to do the right thing."

"But-"

"We can't just do nothing."

"Well, we can hardly take his word for it." Edmund piped up. All eyes turned to him. His scowl deepened and pointed at the warrant. "He's a known criminal!"

Four different mouths opened to object to this, but snapped closed when there was a sound at the door.

* * *

**Author's Note: So... This is really, _really_, late. I've been extremely busy the past week or so because I've been job hunting. preparing for college, and other various things. Hope you all enjoyed it. :)  
**


	11. Talking Animals

**Chapter 11: Talking Animals  
**

"Psst!"

The four teenagers gaped out the door where a robin hopped lightly from one branch to the next. Susan eyed it skeptically.

"Did that bird just 'psst' us?" She asked. Peter took a step forward to get a closer look but the bird suddenly took flight and was gone.

"I guess not." Ari said. Suddenly, the voice came again. Five pairs of eyes snapped into the bushes near the doorway where an abnormally large beaver was poking its head into the light. It stepped out of the bushes and started waddling towards them. On two feet.

"It's a beaver!" Lucy exclaimed. She took a step forward before Peter grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He eyed the creature warily.

"I think it wants us to follow it." Ari said as the beaver crooked a finger, beckoning.

"Of course it does." Edmund said sarcastically as he crossed his arms. Peter shot him a look before he took a slow step towards the beaver. His hand was outstretched as if he were reaching out to a dog. He made a strange clicking noise which caused the beaver to put his hands on his hips.

"Well, I ain't gonna smell it if that's what you want." He said. Peter jerked his hand back and stared. Lucy giggled at the expression on everyone's faces, seeing as she had learned already that some of the animals in Narnia could talk.

"Um... Sorry?" Peter apologized sheepishly. Lucy jabbed her elbow into his side. He gave her a 'what was that for' look, to which Lucy just stared.

"Well, what do you want?" Susan blurted out as she placed her hands on her hips. The beaver looked around nervously.

"Further in." He whispered before he backed into the bush again. Lucy immediately started walking after him. Peter shrugged and followed, dragging Susan along with him. Edmund turned to Ari, who was looking conflicted.

"Hey, trust me. I don't want to be here any more than you do." He said, rolling his eyes.

"I highly doubt that." Ari replied. There was a brief moment of silence between the two. "I'll go if you go?"

"Why not?" Edmund shrugged. The two of them walked after the rest of the group in silence.

Edmund thought about his actions, as even he could call them out of place. Maybe the reason he helped her out was the fact that he recognized the same deep-set sadness in her green eyes as he saw in his own when he looked in the mirror. Ariana, on the other hand, was thinking how crazy everything going on was, and how her head was really, really going to hurt when she finally woke up.

After a decent amount of walking deeper into the forest, the beaver finally stopped. He turned to the five and looked at the youngest in the group.

"Lucy?" He questioned. Her eyes widened slightly.

"How did you know?" She asked. He held out a small white handkerchief, embroidered with her initials. She reached out for it and snatched it out of his hands. "That's mine! I gave it to-"

"Tumnus. I know." The beaver replied. "Poor fellow got wind of the arrest just before it happened. I've been keeping an eye out for you ever since."

"Is... Is he all right?" She asked quietly, afraid to know the answer. Beaver avoided her gaze and looked at all the trees around them.

"That's conversation better left for safer quarters." He said, so quietly the group had to strain their ears to hear. He jerked his head for them to follow and started walking again.

"What did he mean by that?" Ari asked, her face twisted in confusion. Lucy looked up at the branches hanging above them.

"He means the trees." Lucy whispered. A shiver ran down five spines. The group looked at each other and started walking, all looking at the trees suspiciously. The deeper into the woods they walked, the more the sense of unease that Edmund had been feeling since they had entered Narnia was bothering him. He wanted to stop and turn back. To go back home. Far enough back that they wouldn't be overheard easily, Edmund stopped and pulled on Peter's coat.

"Will you stop for a second?" He asked, fire in his brown eyes. "Have you even thought about what we're doing? How do we even know what _side_ the Beaver is on?!"

"He's friends with the faun." Peter answered simply, crossing his arms in irritation.

"When it comes down to it, how do we even know that the faun is in the right?" Edmund asked, a serious expression on his face.

"He saved Lucy."

"Yes, and he was arrested." Edmund snapped. Peter gave him a concerned look.

"Here we are then!" Beaver's voice called from in the distance. Peter shot his brother a look that clearly said, '_we'll talk about this later' _before he walked towards the girls and the animal. Edmund's shoulders sagged, but he followed anyways. The two climbed a hill that overlooked a frozen river. The river snaked through the mountains and forest that lay ahead of them. Susan stepped cautiously to the edge of the frozen water. She looked down to where a fish hung frozen in the ice. Bubbles trickled from its open mouth.

"Oh, it's wonderful!" Lucy exclaimed as she saw the impressive looking dam in front of them.

"Oh, it's merely a trifle. Not even finished, really." The beaver replied, embarrassed. He'd be blushing if beavers _could_ blush. A wisp of smoke floated from the chimney at the top of the dam. "Oh! And it looks like Mrs. Beaver has the pot on. You lot have come at a good time."

The small group started towards the dam but Edmund froze as his eyes landed on the sight in the distance. He eyed the two dark hills looming in the distance with apprehension.

"Enjoying the scenery?" Beaver asked, giving him a curious look. Edmund snapped out of his trance-like state and shoved his hands in his pockets. He shrugged and walked past the creature and into the dam.

* * *

**Author's Note: I know this chapter is really, really late. And for that I apologize. I've been going through some personal stuff, and this chapter has been sitting in my docs for who knows how long... I should have updated a while ago. But, it's here now. Hope you all enjoy. :)**


	12. Pressing Matters

**Chapter 12: Pressing Matters**

"Mrs. Beaver, I have a surprise for you!" Mr. Beaver called as the small group filed in.

"It better be those fish I asked you to get." A grumpy female voice called from somewhere deeper in the small home. A few seconds later another beaver wearing an apron bustled into the room. When she saw the children she gasped and wobbled on her feet. "Those aren't fish."

She ran to them and began to reverently look them over. "You've come at last! Oh, I never thought I'd live to see this day!" She said excitedly, bouncing on her tiny feet. The five teenagers all looked at each other in confusion, but neither beaver cared to elaborate.

"Oh, you must be starving." Mr. Beaver said, grinning at his wife's excitement. "Let me take your coats while the missus' finishes with dinner."

The humans shrugged out of their coats and piled them up next to the door. They sat in near silence while Mrs. Beaver made her way around the room collecting dishes and utensils for the meal. By the time that the food was put in front of them their stomachs had been complaining for quite a few minutes. They ate hungrily, ignoring the fact that no one had spoken in more than half an hour.

Without the food as an excuse not to talk, the eldest Pevensie decided to address the elephant in the room.

"Couldn't we just go to the Witch and plead Tumnus' case?" Peter asked quietly.

"Oh, you could go all right." Mr. Beaver nodded as he took a sip from the mug in his hand.

"But few who enter that castle ever come out again." Mrs. Beaver finished for him.

"Then... Mr. Tumnus is?" Lucy whispered, tears coming to her eyes. Mrs. Beaver patted her head consolingly.

"There is hope, child." She said soothingly.

"Indeed. The greatest hope there ever was." Mr. Beaver said, his eyes shining. Five pairs of confused eyes met his grinning face. "Aslan is on the move." He whispered conspiratorially. It seemed as if a warm breeze floated through the room as he spoke the name. Peter, Susan, Lucy, and their new friend Ari stared in silence, strangely feeling calm.

"Who's Aslan?" Edmund blurted from his seat in the back of the room. The Beavers gaped at him in shock.

"You don't _know_?" Mr. Beaver questioned incredulously. Edmund shook his head while his siblings and the redhead agreed with him.

"Oh, my. You _do _come from a bad place." Mrs. Beaver said quietly as she shook her head.

"He's only the king of the whole wood! Lord of all Narnia!" Mr. Beaver said as he jumped out of his chair.

"He's been gone for a long time, but now he's back!" Mrs. Beaver said, waving her hands in the air.

"Aye! He's gathering an army at the Stone Table. Now we'll be able to sort out this mess and rid ourselves of the White Witch once and for all!" Mr. Beaver said firmly.

"Won't she just turn him to stone like everyone else?" Edmund asked, arching a black eyebrow in question. Beaver threw back his head and laughed loudly. Edmund glared, feeling stupid for even asking.

"Trust me, boy. If the White Witch can so much as look Aslan in the eye I'll be surprised." Beaver chuckled, draining his drink. He set his mug down on the table with a thump. "But, you'll see for yourself soon enough. We set out in the morning."

"For where?" Peter asked.

"The Stone Table." Beaver answered. "If we're going to save Tumnus, we're going to need Aslan to do it."

"But you just said that he was getting ready to fight a war!" Susan protested. Beaver leaned across the table, his face lit by the candle light.

"And he'll need every hand he can get." He said lowly. Susan shot Peter an alarmed glance.

"We just left our _home _to get _away_ from a war!" Susan exclaimed.

"And what about _me_?" Ari spoke up for the first time. Eyes turned to the redhead. "I've seen death happen right before my eyes before, and I'm in no rush to get myself involved in something that's going to make me relive that I just want to go _home_."

"What are you-" Lucy began, giving her an inquisitive look. Peter cut her off.

"Look, I know you mean well, but this all sounds too dangerous." He said as he stood. "I'm sorry that we can't help. Thank you for dinner."

"But what about Mr. Tumnus?" Lucy objected, giving him the same shocked look as the Beavers.

"Lucy, it's time we went home. Come on." He said. Susan nodded her head enthusiastically. Peter's eyes scanned the room to land on Edmund's empty chair. He turned to the rest of the room's occupants. "Where's Edmund?"

Lucy ricocheted to the door which had been left barely ajar. Footprints led from the dam and across the river.

"Edmund!" Peter called.

"When did he leave? Does anyone know?" Beaver asked, his eyes darting between everyone.

"I don't remember..." Susan said, her voice slightly shaky.

"It's vital that we remember exactly what he heard." Beaver said. He looked at them gravely.

"Why?" Ari asked, dreading what the answer would be. Mr. Beaver pointed at the tracks that led towards the two dark hills in the distance.

"Because he's gone to _her._"

* * *

**Author's Note: I meant to upload this last week... Sorry about that.. But, it's up now and I hope you all enjoy it. I've got the rest of the story sitting in my docs right now, so I may just go ahead and upload the rest of it. Eh.. I don't know.**

**Sorry that this chapter is a bit shorter than the rest. It's just how my writing flowed when I was doing this chapter, and I decided to stop then. **


	13. Traitor

**Chapter 13: Traitor**

The spires of the White Witch's castle twisted between the two hills. Edmund stared at them as he stumbled through the deep snow. Determination filled his eyes and he moved quicker.

Far behind him, Peter, Beaver, and Ari raced through the trees. Susan and Lucy strained to catch up. Ari was pushing herself nearly to her limit just to keep up with Peter, but the years of farm-working came in handy with giving her stamina.

"There's no point in this! You won't get him back this way!" Beaver shouted at Peter, attempting to get him to stop. "You've lost him to the Witch!"

"No I haven't!" Peter practically growled over his shoulder.

"You tell me you trust him then!" Beaver yelled. Peter stopped suddenly and whipped around to stare at the Narnian with a dark expression.

"I can still catch him." Peter said simply. And then he was off again, running as fast as his legs could take him through the snow.

Ahead of them, Edmund leaned against a boulder. His breathing was heavy as he stared up at the castle looming in front of him. A cold wind pulled at his collar and he shivered. He looked over his shoulder, almost regretful before he steeled himself and moved forward. He set his jaw in determination and began to climb the hill.

If he was being truly honest with himself, he would say that he was frightened. The woman he was going to scared him witless now that he knew who she truly was, but the fact was that he was more scared of what would happen if he _didn't_ do what she wanted than what would happen if he _did_.

Peter tore across the snow, only a few moments behind Edmund. He stopped at the rocks where his brother's footprints ended. Susan, Lucy, and Ari stared up at the cliff-side to where Edmund was climbing. From their view, he looked tiny against the wall of rock.

"Edmund!" Lucy shrieked. Ari immediately clapped a hand over the smaller girl's mouth, her eyes looking around wildly. She was quickly catching on to how things were working here, even if she didn't believe half of it.

"Shh!" Ari whispered urgently. "They'll hear you!"

Peter stared up at Edmund who didn't even look down at Lucy's call. He practically threw himself at the rocks, but before he could do any serious climbing he was pulled down into the snow by Beaver.

"Stop!"

"But he's our brother!" Susan protested angrily.

"He's the bait!" Beaver said, his eyes burning with seriousness. "The Witch wants all four of you!"

"Why on earth would she want _us_?" Peter snapped.

"To kill you." Beaver said gravely.

"Look!" Lucy exclaimed. She pointed up helplessly as Edmund hauled himself to the top of the cliff. In front of him, a humungous gate stood. He looked back over his shoulder once before he stepped through, vanishing from sight.

"Blast him!" Peter shouted angrily. Susan rounded on him and glared.

"I _told_ you we should have gone back, but _no_! You wouldn't listen to me!" She screamed.

"Oh, so you knew this would happen?" Peter asked sarcastically.

"I didn't know _what_ would happen!" Susan shouted, throwing her arms into the air. "This is exactly why we should have left when we still had the chance!

"Stop it! _Both_ of you!" Lucy yelled, stepping between the two of them. Peter and Susan glared at each other, ignoring the chill of the freezing wind that was whipping at their faces.

"Arguing isn't going to help your brother." Ari piped up.

"Oh, and what would _you_ know about this?!" Susan snapped angrily. Ari's jaw clenched and her eyes darkened.

"Oh, I know plenty." She said darkly. "_My_ brother jumped in front of a bullet to save my life and he's _dead. _I watched my brother get shot in the head and die. He's dead and I'd give _anything_ to have him back."

"Ari, I-" Susan began, but Ari silenced her with a look.

"Just shut up! All of you!" Ari shouted. Her nostrils flared in anger and her hands tightened into fists. "Stop arguing. Whether you like it or not, your brother is up there right now, but he's _alive_. The best thing any of us can do right now is get as far away from this place as possible."

"She's right. The Witch will be sending her police after us soon enough." Beaver said, looking up at the ice castle with apprehension.

"And what are we supposed to do? Just leave him?" Peter asked, his temper ready to rear its angry head again.

"Only Aslan can help your brother now." Beaver said calmly. Surprisingly it was Lucy who spoke up next, her voice strong.

"Then take us to him." She said. She looked over her shoulder at the cliff with a tearful glace. "What other choice to we have?"

Inside of the castle, Edmund made his way through the courtyard to the front gate. He stepped over the remains of a watch fire. Gnawed, charred bones lay in the ashes. He shivered and averted his eyes. A dark shape appeared in the shadows and then vanished into the swirling snow. The snow flurries faded a moment later and there stood a huge gray tiger. Edmund froze in his tracks. The tiger stared. Slowly, snow build up on the animal's snout. Edmund reached out a hand and touched the animal but found that it was made of stone.

"Ha." He chuckled uneasily. He picked up a piece of burnt wood from the dead fire and drew glasses and a mustache on the tiger. He laughed nervously as he walked further inside. Statues surrounded him. Across the courtyard, statues stood like giant chess pieces, their faces frozen in fear. Atop the flight of stairs that led to the large door to the castle he found a gray wolf. Edmund raised his foot to step over the statue when the wolf jumped to life. With one massive paw, it pinned Edmund to the floor.

"Be still stranger, or you'll never move again." The wolf spoke in a gruff voice. Edmund froze as the wolf's yellow eyes stared at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm E… Edmund. I met the queen in the woods. She asked me to come back. I'm a Son of Adam." Edmund said. He tried futilely to keep his voice from shaking. The wolf suddenly removed his paw.

"My apologies, fortunate favorite of the Queen." The wolf sneered. "Or perhaps, not so fortunate.

Edmund slowly got to his feet with surprise etched on his face. The wolf's gruff voice beckoned to him as it walked deeper into the castle. He was led into a vast, arching hall made entirely of glittering ice. More wolves stood guard, eying Edmund coldly as he walked past. The wolf in front of him growled lowly and the others bowed their heads. Edmund was left alone at the end of the hall as the wolf went to find the Witch. In front of him sat an empty, frozen throne. Edmund approached it hesitantly. He gazed at the intricate carvings and sharp corners. He looked at his reflection in the polished ice and sighed.

"Like it?" A voice said from behind him. The Witch's reflection appeared beside him in the glass-like ice. Edmund turned to face her.

"Very much." He said, though this wasn't entirely honest.

"Then you should have one just like it." She replied. She looked at the wolf that led him in, who shook his head. She turned back to Edmund. "Tell me, Edmund. Are your sisters deaf?"

"No…" He said slowly.

"Is your brother… unintelligent?"

"No, not really. What-"

"Then how _dare_ you come to me alone?!" She roared. Edmund flinched at the steel in her tone and hung his head. His head was spinning with regret.

"I tried." He said finally, his voice timid.

"I asked so little of you." She said, disapproval in her voice. Edmund's head snapped up.

"They don't listen to me!" He protested.

"You couldn't even do one simple task." The Witch sighed. She pulled out a wand of ice. Edmund looked at her in panic.

"I did bring them halfway!" He blurted before he could think about what he was saying. "They're at the little house on the dam, with the Beavers!"

The Witch gave a grin and turned to the wolf. "Maugrim, you know what to do."

The wolf nodded and let out a howl. He broke off at a dead run, the other wolves not too far behind him. Edmund swallowed thickly and looked at the Witch with a fearful expression. She sat on her throne, just staring at him.

"Ginarrbrik." She snapped. The dwarf stepped from the shadows and eyed Edmund with hatred.

"Yes, my Queen?"

"Take our _guest_ to his room." She smiled at him. But it wasn't a pleasant smile. Ginarrbrik smiled as well before drawing his sword. He held it to Edmund's back and pushed him forward.

"This way."

All Edmund could think at the moment was _What have I done?_

* * *

**Author's Note: I meant to upload this yesterday, but whatever. It's here now. Enjoy. If you can't tell by how I'm being short, I'm not in a particularly good mood at the moment because of various events that have happened in the past few days. Hopefully you're all having a much better go of it than I am right now. **


	14. Race Against Time

**Chapter 14: Race Against Time**

Beaver led the humans back through the woods at a fast pace. Suddenly, dozens of howls ripped through the chilly night air. There was no hesitation in any of them. They just ran as fast as they could.

"Come on! There's no time!" Beaver yelled at his wife as he burst through the doors of the dam.

Mrs. Beaver hurried around the kitchen, packing things into a small picnic basket. She held up a jar. "Do you think we'll need jam?"

Mr. Beaver growled and tried to drag her to the door. "Only if the Witch serves toast." He grumbled.

"Oh hush. You'll thank me later." She said, brushing his hand off of her arm. The group froze as the baying of wolves pierced the night air once more. They were trapped.

"If there _is_ a later." Peter said, looking fearfully out the window.

Only moments later the wolves raced across the frozen river. It took them seconds to surround the dam. They waited patiently for the command to attack, and once it was given all hell broke loose. They tore savagely at the Beaver's home. Splinters flew as they broke their way inside. They ransacked the room, shredding practically everything. Maugrim entered the room slowly and looked around. The room stood quiet and empty He sniffed the air. The wolf's head swiveled to a small wardrobe sitting in the corner. He eased the door open with his nose to reveal a tunnel underneath the dam. His yellow eyes narrowed and he turned to look at the others.

"Smell them out."

In the tunnel, the group made their way quickly through the dark tunnel. Peter, Susan, and Ari had to crouch to avoid the low hanging beams.

"We'll be safe up ahead. A badger friend of mine dug this tunnel. It comes out right near his place." Beaver told them as they moved.

"And his barrel of ale, I shouldn't doubt." Mrs. Beaver scowled. Mr. Beaver just rolled his eyes in reply. Lucy's long coat suddenly caught on a root, causing her to fall to the ground. Susan reached to help her up but Lucy silenced her.

"Shh!" She whispered urgently. Everyone froze and listened at the sound of feet pounding against the ground filtered to their ears. Fear filled the group's eyes as howls ripped through the passageway, echoing off of the earthen walls. Lucy scrambled to her feet and the group barreled around a corner to a dead end.

"I told you we should have brought the map!" Mrs. Beaver hissed.

"Well, there wasn't room next to the jam!" Beaver exclaimed. He looked up at the ceiling and turned to Peter.

"Peter, kneel down." He commanded. He followed as ordered and Beaver climbed onto his back, reaching for the ceiling. Beaver pushed away what seemed to be a wooden plank with a grunt. Moonlight streamed through the opening it created. He jumped up through the hole in the roof and looked down. "Everybody out. _Now_!"

"Let me up first." Ari said, her voice commanding. Peter eyed her warily to which she answered with a glare. "Look, I don't mean to be rude but I'm stronger than Susan and you'll be wanting to help your sisters up, won't you, so you'll need someone with some muscle up top."

Peter didn't argue but still gave her a suspicious look. He gave her a boost and as soon as she was out of the tunnel, her hands were reaching back to help the next person up. Lucy was lifted next, then Susan holding Mrs. Beaver. Howls ripped through the tunnel once more. Peter looked at Ari.

"Just _jump_!" She ordered. He nodded and jumped as high as he could. Ari reached and grabbed his forearm and with Susan and Lucy's help she pulled him up. As soon as Peter was out of the hold Beaver rolled a large barrel over it to cover the opening.

"We've got to keep moving." Beaver said, pulling on Peter's coat. The group took off again but halted their movement when they reached a tiny village not too far from where they had escaped the tunnel. Ari stopped and listened. The forest around them was eerily silent.

"Something's wrong." She said, her voice earnest. From her days hunting she knew well enough that the forest was a place full of noises. It wasn't _natural_ for it to be this quiet. The group looked around the small town and gaped with horrified expressions as they realized that everyone there had been turned to stone.

"Now do you see what we're up against?!" Beaver asked. He looked at the humans with devastation in his eyes as howling pierced the night air.

"Let them come!" Beaver growled as he turned back. "I'll chew them to shreds!"

"Brave words, Beaver." A voice said from the shadows. The group turned to see a red fox stepping into the moonlight. He leaned casually against a tree. "But words like that are better left for when the odds are in your favor."

"We don't need _your_ help." He growled, distrust clear in his eyes.

"Speak for yourself!" Peter snapped. Beaver shot Peter an angry look while the fox just smiled smugly.

"Now there's a man who knows what's good." Fox drawled. Another howl ripped through the night, very close this time. Fox whipped his head to the side. "I know we've just met, but you might want to follow me."

"Is that what you told _them_?" Beaver asked, pointing at the statues around the small village. Fox just nodded his head towards the dirt flying from the hole in the ground.

"I'd hurry if I were you. They get rather unpleasant when they're hungry." He whispered urgently.

"Follow him." Peter ordered his sisters as the fox darted into the trees.

"But-" Susan began to protest.

"Just go!" Peter snapped, giving her a look that left no room for argument. The group dashed after the Fox when suddenly he stopped and sniffed the air.

"An item of your clothing please, Your Highness." He said to Susan with a smile.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"Your sweater." Ari clarified. "It'll throw the sent off."

"I couldn't." Susan said as she looked down at her school cardigan.

"Wolves. _Hungry _wolves." Fox said as he looked into the forest behind her. Fear gripped her and she immediately began yanking the sweater over her head. She handed it to the fox. He bowed at her, then whistled. The trees above them rustled, causing the group to look up in alarm. Two fauns landed lightly in the snow near them. Fox tossed them the sweater.

"Take them on a run boys." He ordered. Without a word they took off into the trees, Susan's sweater fluttering behind them. Fox turned back to the group.

"Now, climb." He ordered as he started to sweep away their footprints. Peter began helping his sisters climb up to a high branch and the Beavers weren't far behind. As Ari made a move to grab onto a branch, howling filled the air once more. She looked over her shoulder and saw that there were merely moments left for her to hide. She darted behind a massive oak and held her breath just seconds before the wolves burst through the forest. Fox was still casually sweeping his tail against the ground.

"Greetings." He smiled innocently as the wolves skidded to a stop. "Lost something, have we?"

"Don't patronize me. I know where your allegiances lie." Maugrim snarled. He looked around the clearing. "Where are the humans?

"Now that's a valuable piece of information, don't you think?" Fox answered with a smile as he leaned against a tree. The very tree where Peter, Susan, Lucy, and the Beavers sat high above the ground. Peter gritted his teeth and glared as Fox absentmindedly groomed his tail. "I'd imagine that there would at least be a normal reward for something like that."

Maugrim's lieutenant, Varden leaped forward and clamped his teeth town on Fox's neck. Up in the tree, Lucy gasped. Susan clapped a hand over her sister's mouth. Peter looked over to where Ari was standing behind the tree and could tell that even from this distance that the girl was shaking. He didn't blame her.

"Your reward is your life." Maugrim said, leaning in to get close to Fox's face. "Now. Where are they?

Varden tightened his jaws more. Fox whimpered and yelped. Peter's hands clenched into a fist as he saw Fox raise his paw to point. Suddenly the wolves were darting off into the forest after something he had missed. He just barely caught the sight of a trail of flame-red hair disappearing into the night. Varden threw Fox to the ground and howled. The pair were gone a second later, chasing after a girl who had just risked everything for the sake of complete strangers that she didn't fully believe were real.

* * *

**Author's Note: I apologize for the late update. Since it's been so long since I've posted, I'm going to post two chapters tonight. The other will be up later tonight some time after I edit it.  
**

**I don't know when I'll update after that. This week has been really rough. My remaining grandmother, who I was closer to, passed away. I'm still in shock, to be honest. I don't know how it's going to affect my writing in the long run, but those of you who have stuck by me know how badly it was last time. I just quit writing. I don't want that to happen again, but there's no telling. **


	15. Prophecy Revealed

**Chapter 15: Prophecy Revealed**

Ari was running for her life, through the snow, in a world that she was almost positive was a figment of her imagination. When she had seen the fox raising his paw she made the split decision to run. She wasn't about to take a chance. She knew well enough that she had more stamina than any of the other teenagers and had the best chance of getting away, even if that chance was a very slim one.

She pushed her legs to move faster than she ever thought was possible. Howls sounded in the air behind her and the sound of the wolves' feet crunching against the snow was getting louder by the second. One of the wolves got close enough to her and launched itself off the the ground. She was knocked to the ground and went rolling. Her head smashed against a tree and pain exploded through her head. She groaned as she felt a few drops of blood trickled down the side of her face.

She scrambled to her feet and tried to run again, even though her vision was blurred from the blood slipping into her eyes. In the next instant she was pulled to the ground once more. A blood-curdling scream ripped from her throat as a set of razor-sharp teeth latched onto her left leg. Her body immediately shut down and she stopped struggling, knowing that moving around would only injure the leg further.

"Let me go!" She screamed, pain evident in her voice.

"Captain, she isn't one of them." One of the wolves said. The wolf holding her leg in his mouth dropped it and backed away.

"She could still be of some use." Maugrim huffed. "Drag her back if you have to."

"I can walk by myself, thank you." She said, wincing as she put weight on her left leg. She grimaced and grit her teeth as she stepped forward. She took just a moment to examine the wound. It hurt like hell, but it was shallow enough that it wasn't a real threat unless it got infected. It would heal easily enough, but she could already tell that it _would_ scar. One of the wolves gave her a slight shove with its head. She looked down at its intense gaze and sighed. She picked up the pace as much as she could with her leg screaming in pain.

Back at the tree, Lucy was looking down at Fox's motionless body. His bushy tail twitched after a few moments. Lucy grinned as he stood to his feet and looked up at them. The group started climbing down from the tree.

"Are you alright?" Susan asked as Peter helped her out of the tree.

"Oh, don't worry, Your Majesty. Their bark is worse than their bite."

"Why do you keep calling us that?" Susan asked suspiciously, still on edge from all of the wolves. Fox looked at her with a curious expression and then turned to Beaver.

"They don't know?"

"Don't know what?" Peter asked. The Narnians looked at each other.

"We should make camp. Once we're all settled, we'll explain everything."

=XxX=

Edmund sat alone in a cold, musty smelling cell in the dungeons of the White Witch's castle. A few bugs scuttled over the floor. He moved his foot to squash the one closest to him but was stopped by the chain connecting his foot to the wall. He looked at the 'meal' of moldy bread and frozen water that he had been given and gagged. He pushed it away, disgusted.

"Excuse me?" A small voice said. Edmund jerked a little, surprised at the unexpected voice. He looked through the bars to the next cell where a faun lay. His hooves where shackled to the floor. "Sorry. I'd get up, but I'm afraid my legs aren't working very well."

"You're Mr. Tumnus, aren't you?" Edmund asked as he stared.

"What's left of him at least." Tumnus smiled awkwardly. Edmund looked away. "You're Lucy Pevensie's brother."

"I'm Edmund." The raven-haired boy answered simply.

"You have the same nose." Tumnus pointed out. Edmund made a face and rubbed his nose.

"That's a new one." He mumbled. Tumnus' face turned serious.

"Is your sister safe? Is she all right?" Tumnus asked.

"I...I don't know." Edmund whispered. His face clouded over and he wrung his hands.

=XxX=

The campsite was quiet except for the small fire flickering and Beaver chewing on branches to add to it. Mrs. Beaver passed out bread and jam to everyone as the huddled around the fire. Fox gave one more sweep of the area just to be sure that it was safe before settling down.

"There's a prophecy." Mr. Beaver said as he tossed another branch into the fire. "When Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sits at Cair Paravel in throne, the evil time will be over and done."

"That doesn't even rhyme..." Susan muttered. Lucy elbowed her in the stomach while Mrs. Beaver patted her husband on the paw and continued for him.

"On the shore of the Eastern Ocean is a castle called Cair Paravel. Inside of it are four thrones. It is said that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve fill those thrones, Narnia will be at peace."

"And the Witch's reign will be over." Fox finished for her. The Narnians looked at the three teenagers who stared in disbelief.

"And you think that _we're_ the ones?" Peter asked, confusion evident on his face.

"You better be." Fox said seriously. "We've been waiting for you for one hundred years. Narnia can't take much more."

"Look..." Peter began. "You must have us confused with someone else. You've made some kind of mistake. We're _not_ heroes."

"We're from Finchley." Lucy said. Susan stared at the expectant animals.

"None of this makes _any_ sense."

"Your sense comes from your world, child." Mrs. Beaver said to Susan. "This is foretold in the Deep Magic, and what is written there shall be."

"You've come to save Narnia..." Fox began. "Whether you like it or not."

Later that night Peter sat by the waning fire, keeping watch. The Beavers slept off to the side, their tails draped over each other. Lucy and Fox dozed near a tree a few feet away. Susan, bleary eyed, joined him.

"Magic wardrobes, talking animals, and not a single pillow in the whole country." Susan said grumpily. Peter chuckled and smiled sadly.

"She saved us, you know."

"What are you talking about?" Susan asked in confusion.

"Ari." Peter said as he poked at the fire with a stick. "It was her that led the wolves away. I didn't trust her and she saved us."

"I… didn't know that." Susan mumbled. She felt bad for practically calling the girl a liar earlier. "I hope she's safe."

"That's the _one_ thing I promised mum. I promised her that I'd keep you three safe, and I can't even do that." Peter sighed. He looked over at Lucy and the sleeping animals before he sighed again. "I don't think I have it in me to do what they expect."

"What they expect doesn't matter, because it isn't _true_." Susan insisted.

"Well, what happens when they work that out?" Peter asked her seriously.

"That we aren't mythical kinds and queens? We get Edmund, and we go _home_." Susan said firmly.

"We should have gotten Edmund a leash." Peter grumbled.

* * *

**Author's Note: That last line makes me smile every time I read it.  
**

**Well, hope you enjoyed this. **


	16. Memories Resurfaced

**Chapter 16: Memories Resurfaced**

Edmund shivered in the corner of his cell as he heard the wolves howling in the distance. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Tumnus looking at him. He quickly turned his head in response. The lock on his cell clanged and Edmund looked up as the Witch strode in with the dwarf.

"My police tore that dam apart." She hissed at him as she stalked forward. Edmund's face paled as she got closer to him. "Your family was _nowhere_ to be found."

"Are you sure? Did you look under everything?" Edmund asked, trying to cover up the fact that he was extremely relieved. She reached out and grabbed his face, sneering at him.

"But they _did_ catch your little friend." She said, her eyes glittering with malice. She let go of Edmund and snapped her fingers. An ogre dragged in a struggling Ari. Her red hair was sticking in several directions. There was dirt smeared on her face and a splatter of now dried blood on her forehead. She no longer had the coat that he had given her when they first met. The denim pants she wore were ripped on the left leg and blood stained it heavily. Edmund winced as he saw her and the guilt seeped deeper into him than ever.

She was dragged over to one of the chains in the cell with Edmund and it was attached to her leg, which was easier said than done with all of the thrashing and protesting that she was doing.

"Where are they?" The Witch said as she turned to the redhead. "I know _you_ should know where they are, even if _he_ doesn't."

"The only thing I'm telling _you_ is where to shove that wand of yours." Ari snapped, her eyes glinting with defiance, practically daring the Witch to kill her. The Witch's eyes flashed dangerously. A hand snapped forward and slapped across Ari's face. The sound echoed off of the icy walls. A small trickle of blood dripped down Ari's face from her lip. She steeled herself and spat in the general direction of the Witch. In the next instant the Witch's wand was raised and she moved as if to stab the redhead. Ari didn't even have time to flinch before Edmund cried out, causing the hand to freeze in midair.

"NO!" He shouted. "They said something about Aslan!"

"Aslan?" The Witch asked, suddenly interested in what he had to say.

"Edmund, don't!" Ariana warned. The Witch turned and backhanded her across the face. Edmund winced.

"I-" Edmund began to speak. He stopped as Tumnus began to wildly bang against the bars of his cell.

"He's a stranger here, your Majesty! He doesn't know anything!" The faun protested. The Witch send a glare his way as Ginnarbrik knocked him back.

"_Where_ is Aslan?" She asked dangerously. Tumnus and Ari both sent Edmund looks, desperate and warning. Edmund hesitated.

"I don't know." He answered. "I left before they said…"

"Release the faun." The Witch said suddenly. She pursed her lips as the dwarf looked at her in disbelief.

"But-"

"Just _do it_." She snapped impatiently. Ginarrbrik took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the shackles around the faun's hooves. Once he was dragged into Edmund and Ari's cell the Witch turned to him with a menacing look.

"Do you know why you are here, faun?" She asked, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face.

"Because I believe in a free Narnia." He answered, his voice much stronger than he looked.

"No." She said, grinning madly. "You're here because _he _turned you in. For sweets."

Tumnus looked at Edmund in confusion while Ari gave him a look of disgust. Edmund looked down in shame and the redhead almost swore she saw a few tears slip down his face.

"Take him upstairs and ready my sleigh. Edmund misses his family." She snapped. The Witch turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. Edmund pressed his face into his hands and let the tears flow freely once she was out of the room.

"You're stupid, you know that?" Ari said, glaring at him. Edmund's head whipped around to stare at her with a hateful expression.

"I had _no_ choice!" He spat at her.

"There's _always_ a choice!" She snapped back. "You have the choice to either do the cowardly thing and do what's easy or do what's hard but right. You just _blew_ your chance of getting out of here alive. As soon as she's gotten every bit of information she can out of you, she'll kill you and you _know_ it!"

"Shut up!" Edmund growled at her.

"No!" Ari screamed. "Today was supposed to be a quiet day. A day for me to remember, _not_ a day for me to relive my worst moments again!"

"What in the world are you talking about?" Edmund asked, eying her with suspicion. Ari turned away and didn't answer. Edmund took in her half-crazed appearance once more. "What happened to you?" He said, changing the subject.

"Wolves happened." She said simply. The anger in her emerald eyes was fierce.

"How?" Edmund hedged.

"They came for your family. I didn't have time to climb the tree like they did, so I ran. I had the best chance out of any of us to actually get away, but I still wasn't quick enough." She answered. She peeled back the shreds of her jeans and looked at the wound. Edmund grimaced as he saw the jagged teeth marks that marred her pale skin. " I've seen worse injuries than this before. It's not really deep. It just hurts a lot. As long as it doesn't get infected, I should be just fine apart from the pain."

"Why did you do it?" Edmund asked. Ari looked him in the eye, her own filled with pain and sadness.

"Because I don't want your family torn apart the way mine was." She answered. She then averted her eyes and shut them tight. The tears threatened to spill over were getting closer to the surface but she was determined to keep them bottled inside. Edmund saw the look on her face and didn't push any more. With all that had happened today, she was likely to snap at any moment and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of that anger and frustration.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Thanks to all who have stuck with my random updates so far. :)**

**And, to clear something up. Ari is so defiant and unafraid of the Witch because she still doesn't fully believe that everything is real. She thinks that if she dies, she'll just wake up. I'll go more into detail about that later. **


	17. Gifts

**Chapter 17: Gifts**

Two dwarves directed Edmund and Ari forward through the courtyard and past countless statues that the Witch had created. Edmund's face went cold as in the corner of his eye he caught site of Tumnus. He tore his eyes away, the guilt nearly overpowering. A few moments later, the two captives were forced into a large sleigh. The Witch sat tall in the seat while the prisoners were left on the floor with their arms tied. The sleigh rocketed out of the castle's gate, followed closely by the wolf pack. Ginnarbrik cracked his whip, driving the reindeer into the snow covered wilderness.

Back at the campsite, Peter was awoken from his sleep by a sharp cracking sound. Through the trunks of the frozen trees he made out something red moving. He grabbed a stick from beside the now dead fire and moved quietly between the trees. He pushed past a branch and dropped the stick in his hands at what he saw.

There, amongst the snow was a lush cherry tree. The bright red fruit and full branches stood out against the frozen wood. Before his eyes the red petals fluttered from the tree. They poured down and swept up, finally forming the shape of a woman. Peter's eyes went wider than he thought possible and he took a defensive stance.

"There's nothing to fear, my King." A bell-like voice chimed. Peter shook the shock off of himself.

"I'm nobody's king." He insisted. The dryad moved toward him with the sound of rustling leaves.

"Because of _you_, the spirits of the trees are now free of our frozen boughs." She said as she gave him a smile.

"Look, I did no such-"

"Shh." She said as she brushed a hand against his cheek. He blushed a backed away slowly. "You may feel like a sapling, but a sapling is a tree nonetheless."

The petals that made up her body fluttered into the wind, but her voice still floated to him. "The wind brings a message of great urgency. Your brother is still alive, along with the girl. But you must hurry if you wish to save them. The White Witch is on her way."

Peter could only stare as the petals floated back to the tree. He shook his head and turned back to the camp. He woke the rest of their party and told them of the dryad's message. They quickly gathered what little belongings they had and started moving. Half an hour passed before they reached the large cliff overlooking the river they would soon have to cross. All of Narnia was spread before them, vast, open, and white.

"I told you it wasn't just trees." Fox smiled.

"It's enormous!" Lucy breathed.

"It's the _world_, dearie. Did you expect it to be small?" Mrs. Beaver asked. Susan sent Peter a scathing look. She pursed her lips.

"_Smaller._"

"Where's the Stone Table?" Peter asked as he looked out over the country.

"You see the frozen lake? Beyond that is Shuddering Wood, and then some foothills. Can you see the largest of them far off there?" Fox asked. Peter squinted at the tiny mound on the horizon.

"Barely."

"Well, the little gray bit on top of it is the Stone Table."

"I thought you said you knew a shortcut." Susan accused.

"You'll save two days by crossing on the frozen river."

"Are you sure that it's safe?" Susan asked, eying the long green river with apprehension.

"Hard as a rock for one hundred years. Quite lovely, actually. I almost wish I was crossing with you." Fox sighed wistfully.

"You're not coming with us?" Lucy asked.

"I might have known." Beaver scowled.

"Aslan's readying an army, friend. He'll need soldiers, and I can get them for him." Fox explained. He turned to the humans. "It's been an honor and a privilege, Your Majesties."

And then Fox was gone, leaving them alone atop the rocks.

"Well, we're going to get nowhere just standing around. Let's go." Peter said.

The group made their way down the hill and towards the river. Once they were at the bottom, all that lie in front of them was open space covered with snow. The Beavers moved easily along the snowy plain, but the Pevensies lagged behind. The trek was proving to be difficult. Peter groaned in irritation as beaver called for them to hurry up.

"If he tells us to hurry up _one more time_, I'm going to cut off his tail and use it for a cricket bat." He grumbled. He had lost count after fifteen time of being told to move faster. Ahead of them, Beaver turned around once more. He opened his mouth to speak, but something in the distance caught his eye. Far behind them, a rooster tail of snow plumed high in the air. The animal's eyes went wide.

"Hurry up! Run! _Run!_" He yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth.

"He _is_ getting a bit bossy, isn't he?" Lucy asked from Peter's back.

"No! Behind you! It's _her_!" Mrs. Beaver called out. The Pevensies turned to see a speeding sled moving their direction. Peter didn't hesitate to run towards the forest off to the side. Susan was hot on his heels. They scrambled into the forest, slipping on the ice along the way. Beaver directed them into a small alcove underneath two slabs of rock. They were all crammed into the tiny space, trembling as the sound of sleigh bells filled their ears. The jingling stopped as the sleigh came to a halt. They waited. And waited.

"Maybe she's gone." Lucy said as she swallowed thickly.

"I guess I'll go look." Peter mumbled.

"No. You're worth nothing to Narnia dead." Mr. Beaver said, stopping him. He squared his shoulders and slipped into the light. There was more tense waiting. That all stopped when the sound of Beaver's laughing reached their ears.

"Come out!" He called. "There's someone here to see you."

A huge red sleigh stood out in the snow. Next to Beaver's laughing frame stood a tall man in a bright red robe with a great white beard. A broadsword was attached to his hip. He could have been an ancient warrior or some of the like. Lucy grinned.

"Merry Christmas, sir." Lucy said. She stuck her hand out to the beaming Father Christmas, who gladly shook her hand.

"After all these years!" Mrs. Beaver exclaimed.

"Look, I've put up with a lot since I got here, but this-" Susan began to protest. She stopped when Peter stepped out in front of her.

"We've heard that there was no Christmas in Narnia, sir. So how are you here now?" He asked.

"The Witch has kept me out for a long time, but her magic finally weakening. The ice is losing its grip on the world, thanks to you all." Father Christmas explained with a smile.

"…What?" Susan asked after a moment. The skepticism couldn't have been more obvious.

"You've given Narnia back its hope." The man replied. He turned his back to the group and reached into a sleigh to pull out a rather large bag. "You've still got a difficult road ahead of you. I can only hope that these gifts will be of some help along the way."

"Presents!" Lucy exclaimed, smiling. Peter laid a hand on her shoulder to keep her back. Surprisingly, Father Christmas turned to Peter first.

"Peter, the time to use these is near at hand. Use them well." He said as he gifted Peter a sword and shield. Peter looked at the items reverently but with caution. The sword had the head of a lion on the handle and the blade itself had elegant script engraved on it. The scabbard of the sword was red and gold with intricate designs. Peter re-sheathed the sword and turned his attention to the shield. It was heavy in his hands, but he was positive that with more time he would get used to the feel of it.

"Thank you, sir." Peter breathed. Susan shot him a surprised look. Father Christmas then crouched before Lucy and placed a small jeweled vial in her hands.

"This is the juice of the fire flower. One drop of this will heal any injury. And, though I hope you never have to use it…" He trailed off as he handed her a small dagger. She looked at the handle that was very similar to Peter's sword. The tiny scabbard was red with the same design of Peter's. She smiled as she weighed it in her hands.

"I think I could be brave enough." She said, a little unsure. Father Christmas smiled gently.

"I'm sure you could, but battles are ugly affairs." He said as he turned to Susan. He handed her a bow and quiver of arrows, all white. She held the weapons awkwardly with her fingertips, though she eyed her initials on the quiver.

"What happened to 'battles are ugly affairs'?" She asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. The elderly man chuckled and reached back into the bag once more. Susan blinked as he handed her a small ivory horn.

"Though you don't seem to have a problem with making yourself heard, blow on this horn, and no matter where you are, help will come." He promised.

"But, I really-"

"I'm afraid I must be off now." He said as he climbed into the sleigh. "The work really does pile up after one hundred years. Don't worry, Beavers. Your gifts will be awaiting your return."

"What about Edmund?" Lucy asked.

"And Ari?" Peter chimed in.

"I hope these gifts will help you save them." He said, his eyes serious. "That you're willing to try should be gift enough for them."

"Thank you, sir." Peter said, tilting his head slightly. He had his hand on the sword hanging at his side now.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Long live Aslan, and merry Christmas!" Father Christmas called. He cracked the reins and the sleigh shot across the snow. The group watched until the sleigh was completely out of sight. Lucy turned to Susan with a smirk.

"I _told_ you he was real." She grinned. Susan just stared.

* * *

**Author's Note: 17. My favorite number. Maybe that will get me some reviews. ;)**


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